When Words Become More
by Pandafan91
Summary: Sequel to The Words of a Loved One Takes Place immediately afterwards. While still recovering from the Lin Kuei's attack, Po must remain in the Jade Palace while his Master and Friends attend a Celebration without him. All except for Tigress, who to every one's shock volunteers to stay behind to watch over the Panda. Meanwhile, Temutai Is looking to finish what the Lin Kuei started
1. You Are Invited

**Well I've finally started it. My sequel to The Words of a Loved One! I got to tell you, the words of a Loved one was never meant to have a sequel. But after getting so many PM's requesting a sequel, I couldn't say no. That being said, I hope I do not disappoint. Here is Chapter 1 and I hope you all Enjoy The Read...**

**Disclaimer: For this Chapter and all the rest, I do not own Kung Fu Panda nor it's Characters...But that would be so Awesome if I did!**

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"**When Words Become More…"**

Sequel to "_**The Words of a Loved One**_"

Created by _Pandafan91_

**Chapter 1**

**You are invited…**

It had only been a few days since the attack on the Jade Palace and the Dragon Warrior, and the palace servants had only gotten the Hall of Heroes back in order the day before. Po's recovery progress was about all that could be expected. Han, the Palace healer, kept his stomach bandaged and cleaned daily while Po's right arm was still broken and in a sling, with his left leg also still broken and all but useless as well. It would take time for the Panda to heal completely from the Damage the Lin Kuei had inflicted upon him, but Han was confident that in time, Po would make a full recovery. Unfortunately…Time seemed to be the one thing that Shifu did not have, for six days after the Lin Kuei's attack on the Palace, Superintendent Woo had arrived at the Palace, and the reason for his visit was none other than The Dragon Warrior himself.

**Within the Hall of Heroes…**

** "**Listen Old Timer, I don't have all day! I'm a very busy man you hear me!? Very busy! You want to see my Mad Face? No? Then get your Fat Panda over here this INSTANT!" Woo had just finished his rant for about the third time in five minutes, and it was taking every single ounce of Shifu's self-control not to show the antelope HIS mad face and kick the Super Intendant down the Thousand Steps. But after a pleading look from Constable Hu, who now had his hands in a begging gesture as he mouthed the words "_Please_" as in, "_Please don't harm my boss_", Shifu took a deep breath and calmed his temper, before saying, "Once again Super Intendant Woo…I am sorry, but the Dragon Warrior is unable to appear before you at this time." Woo then spat "And why not!? Doesn't that stupid Panda know I'm a busy man? I demand to see the Dragon Warrior RIGHT NOW!" Shifu's ear twitched as he attempted to compromise, "Perhaps you can address your concerns with me and I can be sure to relay them to the Dragon Warrior?" Woo then scoffed as he said "If I could, don't you think I would have done so? Do you think I'm stupid!? Huh!? Oh I'm so mad…I'm almost about to show my Mad Face!"

Constable Hu then stepped forward as he said "Please sir, Master Shifu said the Dragon Warrior is unavailable at this time…perhaps if you simply left him a message…" Woo then Turned on the Elephant and said as he got up in Hu's face "I'm sorry, but are you a part of this conversation? No? Then shut your trap already big nose! Before I have you fired…AGAIN!" Constable Hu merely lowered his head as he muttered "Yes Sir…" Shifu on the other hand was trying to think of a way to get rid of Woo. He had tried his best to keep the fact that the Dragon Warrior was wounded a complete secret. In doing so, he had forbidden Po from venturing down into the village at all, not that he could anyway even if he wanted to. Shifu doubted he would even make it to the stairs on that crutch. But if certain lowlifes learned that the Dragon Warrior was currently crippled, it could only spell disaster for the Valley of Peace.

**Meanwhile, just outside the Hall of Heroes…**

Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane were all eaves dropping just outside the doors, as Shifu and Super Intendant Woo continued to go back and forth about the Dragon Warrior. Mantis was perched on Monkey's shoulder as he said "This isn't good." Monkey then added "Yeah, at this rate Shifu's not gonna have a choice but to tell Woo that Po's been hurt." Viper then added, "And that idiot isn't going to be able to keep his mouth shut about it…we got to do something." Crane then asked "Yeah, but what?" Suddenly they heard someone panting heavily as the Masters turned and saw Po trying to hobble his way up the stairs to the Hall of Heroes on his crutch, his left leg still wrapped in bandages and his arm still in a sling. Fortunately the swelling around his right eye had gone down, but he still had his stomach wounds wrapped up tight. With him, Tigress was following him closely, her arms out and ready to catch him, just in case the panda fell down.

Once Po made it to the top of the stairs, he managed to catch his breath with Tigress now peering around the door to look inside. Po then asked in between breaths as he looked up at his friends "So what's…going on…already?" Suddenly Viper was next to him saying "Po! You shouldn't be up here, you need to rest." Tigress then interjected "I tried telling him the same thing, but the Panda is as stubborn as Master Shifu…what's going on? Why are Super Intendant Woo and Constable Hu talking with Master Shifu? Has something happened?" Monkey then started to inform the two newcomers, as Po hobbled his way over behind Tigress so he too could get a look. "Woo, for whatever reason says he has something to tell the Dragon Warrior in person, but Shifu Isn't allowing Woo to see Po." Po then turned around and asked "Why not?" Tigress then whispered "Because you're hurt Po. And Woo has a tendency to be pretty loose lipped. If word gets out that the Dragon Warrior can't protect himself…" Po finally nodded his head saying "Got it…that would be bad." Tigress then added "To put it simply, yes, that would be bad."

Right then, Woo had just shouted "For crying out loud you old Coot! Bring me the Dragon Warrior already!" Tigress could see the strain that the Antelope was having on Shifu's patience as Shifu tried to say calmly. "I'm sorry…Woo…But the Dragon Warrior can't come to you right now." Woo then shouted "Yes, you've said that already, what you haven't said was why! What's the Matter Grandpa? Why won't you bring the Dragon Warrior to me?" Shifu was thinking rapidly until he blurted out, "Uh…well you see…the Dragon Warrior…is um…Not here?" the way Shifu said it almost made the answer seem like a question. Woo was furious "He's WHAT!?"

Crane then muttered, "This is bad…At this rate Shifu's gonna end up telling Woo the truth. What do we do?" Po then looked around the Hall briefly, until his eyes landed on a familiar red box. A smile spread across his face as he said "Well…if Woo wants to see the Dragon Warrior…then we'll give him a Dragon Warrior. I got an Idea, Mantis…here's what I need you to do." and quickly Po began to relay his plan.

Shifu was running out of ideas, and Woo was about to lose it completely. Not that Shifu could truly fault the antelope; he had after all been beating around the bush quite a bit. After a quick look at Constable Hu who looked absolutely defeated and ashamed of his superior, Shifu sighed as he looked up at the angry Antelope and said "Forgive me Super Intendant Woo…But, I have not been truthful to you…" Woo then spat "Well if that isn't obvious! Where is the Dragon Warrior Old Man!?" Constable Hu then interjected, "Sir…I beg you to show just a little respect to Master Shifu…He is after all the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace." Woo then whipped around and asked in a rather scary voice "You want to see my Mad Face you useless buffoon!?" Constable Hu merely lowered his head as Woo returned his attention to Shifu who took a deep breath and said, "The Truth is Super Intendant…The Dragon Warrior is currently severely woun-" But before Shifu could finish a Cheerful voice rang throughout the Hall, "Hi ya Super Intendant Woo! What's shaking?"

Shifu, Woo and Constable Hu all turned to see the Panda walking towards them with a cheery smile on his face. Constable Hu's mouth dropped, while Woo placed his hands on his hips saying rather annoyed "Well it's about time Panda!" But none were half as surprised as Shifu, as he watched Po walk over towards the three of them. "_Wait…Po's…walking!? But he was in no condition to do so on his own just this morning…what's going on here_?" as the Panda approached them Shifu started "Dragon Warrior…You're here…how?" Shifu then noticed the Panda's eyes shifting over to the right a couple of times. As Shifu followed the Panda's signal, his eyes widened in shock as he saw…another Po, waving at him from behind a pillar with his left hand, his right arm still in a sling, while Shifu watched Tigress yanked the Panda back behind the Pillar.

Now Shifu's mind was really spinning, "_Two Po's!? Did he look into the Mirror of Yin and Yang AGAIN!? No…if Po did that, then his doppelganger would be physically injured like himself, this is something else... but what_?" The Po behind the Pillar was clearly the Dragon Warrior. But then, who was the Panda before him now? Shifu's eyes drifted back to where the real Po had been, as he saw the panda poke his head around once more and Shifu noticed something in his hand"…_A Shift Stone_?" Suddenly Shifu realized what was going on. One of the Five had taken on the appearance of Po in order to fool Super Intendant Woo. This little scheme had Po written all over it, but at the moment, Shifu had little choice other than to play along.

Shifu was then brought back from his thoughts as he heard Woo snap, "Where in the world have you been Panda!? Shifu kept saying not two minutes ago that you weren't able to come and speak with me, yet here you are! Explain yourself Tubby!" The Panda then scratched the back of his head as he tried to think, "Uh yup that's me, Po the Panda, the totally awesome and bodacious Dragon Warrior, yup…" Woo was getting irritated as he said "Yes Panda, I know who you are and apparently you do too. Now why have you been keeping me waiting?" the Panda then muttered "Uh...well…I…was…um." Shifu then stepped forward as he came to the panda's rescue. "Ah Dragon Warrior…tell me, was your Mission a success?" Both Woo and the Panda turned to Shifu and asked in unison, "Mission?" Woo then looked at the panda oddly as the Panda recovered saying, "Oh, right, the mission. Uh… Yup, the mission went just awesomely Master Shifu. Nothing that the totally awesome Dragon Warrior can't handle…because I'm totally awesome…and totally the Dragon Warrior."

Meanwhile behind the pillar, Po and Tigress remained hidden as they listened to the conversation. Po however was getting a bit grumpy as he muttered "Oh come on Monkey…I don't say awesome ALL the time!" Tigress however hushed him saying "Shhh…Let him handle this Po. You said so yourself that he was the only one who could pass as you." Po then looked to Tigress and asked, "Seriously, do I really say Awesome that much?" Tigress merely rolled her eyes as she returned her attention back to three in the center of the Hall. She had to admit though, as far as one of Po's plans went, this one actually seemed like it could work.

Woo then straightened himself saying, "A mission…I see. That would explain things I guess. Ah but that doesn't matter! Dragon Warrior, I have been sent here with a rather urgent matter involving you." The Panda then asked slightly surprised "Me?" While Shifu also asked "Him?" meanwhile Po whispered behind the Pillar, "Me? Awesome!" while Tigress yanked him back whispering "Po, stop that!" While Po whispered "Sorry." Woo then continued as he stared at the Panda before him. "Yes fatty, you. Did you not hear me!? Are you stupid or something?" The Panda was about to respond when Woo held up his hand saying "Don't answer that." The Panda then shut his mouth as Woo continued. "At any rate, Upper Head District Chief Superior Superintendent Chang has requested the presence of the Dragon Warrior at his summer estate. Every year the Big Shot throws a party for some other big shots and he wants YOU to be there. Apparently he's become fond of you since Constable Hu's little banquet he threw in Chang's honor the last time he came to the Valley…what a disaster that turned out to be." At this, Woo looked over at Constable Hu who was trying to hide his face in shame as the elephant recalled the awkward event.

Meanwhile behind the pillar, Po was barely able to contain his excitement. "I don't believe it! Someone actually wants to invite me to a fancy dinner! Oh this is just great, I can't wait to- ***POW*** Oww!" Po hissed as he held his head with his left hand, which Tigress had just bashed in order to silence him. Tigress then hissed, "I swear Panda, if you say one more word I'm going to drag you out of this Hall!" Po whimpered as Woo asked, "What was that?" Shifu then jumped in saying "Um…I'm sure it was nothing Super Intendant. When exactly is this event taking place?" Woo then turned to the Master saying "In three days." Shifu's eyes widened as he asked in anger, "Three days!? You expect the Dragon Warrior to be able to just show up at the drop of a hat!? Super Intendant Woo, The Dragon Warrior needs more notice than just a few days. Why, in order for him to get to the location in time he would have to leave by sunrise!"

Woo then turned to the Master saying "Blah, blah, blah. The Point is, Chang has requested the Dragon Warrior's presence at his home and the Dragon Warrior WILL be present!" Shifu then asked "And if the Dragon Warrior were not able to attend for whatever reason?" Woo then turned to the Giant Panda and spat "Then I shut this palace down faster than you can say Dumplings!" The Panda gulped as Woo straightened up and said "I should also inform you that the furious five have also been invited to attend, though whether or not they do matters little to me. But the Dragon Warrior MUST be present. I will not have some Panda making me look like an idiot in front of my superiors. "The Panda then grumbled under his breath "Like you need help with that pal." Woo then got up in the Panda's face asking "What was that Tubby!?" The Panda then held up his hands saying "N-Nothing Super intendant Woo…sir." Woo then eyed the Panda suspiciously as the Panda blinked several times, before the antelope shrugged his shoulders and said "Whatever. My job is done so I'm leaving. Later Losers." And with that, Woo began to exit the Palace. Immediately Po and the remaining Masters hid themselves, so that Woo wouldn't see them spying on him.

Once Woo was gone, Shifu then called out, "Alright, all of you get out here this instant!" immediately Viper, Crane and Mantis emerged from behind one of the doors and rushed over to Shifu, Constable Hu and Monkey, who still looked like Po at the moment. Followed slowly by Tigress and Po, who was managing to make his way over to the others, while Tigress walked closely behind him. Once everyone had assembled, Shifu wore a rather un-amused expression while Constable Hu was looking back and Forth between the two Pandas. Finally Shifu snapped "Oh for crying out loud Master Monkey, he's gone already. You can stop with the charade now. "

The Panda off to his left then realized Shifu was right and said "Oh, right…Sorry Master Shifu. Po can I have the stone back?" The real Po smiled as he tossed the shift stone over to Monkey who said "Thanks buddy." In a few seconds, The Panda standing in front of Constable Hu began to glow a bright golden light as the Giant Panda began to shrink. Seconds later, in the place of the Giant Panda stood none other than Master Monkey, as he tossed the stone and caught it in his hand once more. Constable Hu then stuttered "What the devil!?" while Shifu hushed him saying "Oh relax Constable, it was Master Monkey the entire time." Shifu then turned to Po and said "I suppose this was your big idea?" Po smiled as he scratched the back of his head saying "Heh heh…yeah. But how cool is this!? Superior Super Intendant Chang has actually invited me to a party! This is awesome; I don't get invited to anything!" Shifu then smiled as he said "Yes, it is indeed an honor Po." While Po was busy doing a little victory dance…or dancing as well as he could any way, which really just looked like him shaking his head while humming happily, Shifu then dropped the bomb. "It's too bad that you cannot attend."

Po then stopped celebrating, as his eyes opened in shock and he looked to Shifu asking "WHAT!? Why not!?" Shifu then sighed as he said, "Po, think about it. You're injured. You can barely make your way around the palace without collapsing in exhaustion, how do you expect to travel to Chang's home and arrive on time? Besides, the whole point of keeping your injuries a secret was to ensure that no scoundrels would be tempted to attack the Valley or yourself. How can we maintain that illusion if you are seen gimping around at a party?" Po's face immediately fell as the truth of Shifu's words stung him. "Aw Noodles…the first party I get invited to, and I can't even go." Tigress couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her friend. She knew how important something like this would mean to her friend. It was true, Po's table manners…or severe lack thereof rather…tended to keep the panda away from such events, so for him to actually be invited to one, was certainly a big deal for him.

As Po stood there simply miserable, Constable Hu then said "But Super Intendant Woo is expecting the Dragon Warrior to arrive now! If the Dragon Warrior is not physically able to attend, what are we to do? I just know I'll lose my job if Po does not make an appearance." Shifu then grumbled "Wouldn't that be a shame?" he then turned to the Constable and said "Worry not Constable…The Dragon Warrior will indeed make and appearance at Chang's party." Constable Hu then asked "He will?" while Po asked hopefully, "I will?" Shifu then turned to Hu and said "Yes." While looking at Po and said "Absolutely not." Po's face fell once again, and before Hu could even ask Shifu took the Shift stone from Monkey and said "Master Monkey will simply impersonate the Dragon Warrior once more, and attend the event in his place." Monkey then asked "I will?" While Po whined "He will?" But Shifu put a stop to the exchange as he shouted "Yes! He will!" Shifu then turned to the Masters saying "You all have been invited to attend as well…but one of you must stay behind here at the Palace."

Crane then asked "How come Master?" Shifu then explained as he pointed his cane at Po, "Because, someone needs to take care of the Dragon Warrior and keep an eye on him. If he falls or injures himself even more so than he already has, Zeng and Han won't be able to get him to the infirmary. So I leave it up to you four to decide who shall stay behind to take care of the Dragon Warrior, as well as watch over the Jade Palace." Tigress then asked "You mean you aren't staying behind Master Shifu?" Shifu then looked at Tigress and said "Don't be ridiculous! Chang has been known to throw rather large events; I wouldn't miss this for almost anything." Po then whined in disappointment, making Shifu realize what he just did. "Forgive me Panda…I'm sure this particular event will be a complete…um…bore." Po then grumbled "Nice try…" as he huffed in annoyance." Viper then asked the others, excluding Monkey of course. "So…who's going to stay behind with Po?"

For a moment no one said anything. Clearly everyone wanted to go to the event, and Po couldn't blame them. If he could stay at his dad's so that Mr. Ping could take care of him he would, but Mr. Ping was out of town traveling outside the Valley selling his noodles in his new noodle cart. Po was about to make a smart comment along the lines of "Don't everyone raise your hand at once" When Tigress spoke up from behind him saying "I'll stay behind and watch over the Dragon Warrior and the Jade Palace." Everyone turned to look at Tigress who was just standing there as she asked "What?" Shifu then asked "Are you sure Tigress?" Tigress shrugged saying "You said so yourself Master, someone has to stay behind and take care of the Dragon Warrior. Besides, Parties aren't really my cup of tea anyway. I'm sure I won't be missing much."

At this Tigress looked at Po who gave her a small smile. Truth be told, he was glad Tigress had volunteered. At least she wouldn't spend the next week talking to him about how much fun his friends would be having at the party. Tigress noticed the smile and simply nodded her head as Shifu then said "Very well, Tigress will be staying behind with the Dragon Warrior, while the rest of us will be attending Chang's party." The Masters all muttered in agreement while Po merely sighed in disappointment once more. Monkey stepped up to the Panda and patted his back saying "Don't worry buddy, I'll be sure to have enough fun for the both of us!" Although Po knew Monkey wasn't trying to be mean, his words still hurt a bit as he grumbled "Gee, thanks Monkey."

Constable Hu then announced "Well, now that we have that situation dealt with, I shall be off. I shall meet you all at the Village entrance at Sunrise." Po then asked "Wait, You're going too!?" Constable Hu then turned to face Po as he said "But of course Dragon Warrior. Superior Super Intendant Chang is my employer. It would be foolish of me NOT to attend." Hu then whispered to Shifu, "Besides, I can't miss out on the chance to have some of that marvelous food. You know he has some imported from Nepal?" Unfortunately Po heard the Constable as he whimpered "What…Now I'm missing out on foreign food!? How can this day get any worse?" Tigress placed a paw on Po's shoulder as the Panda continued whimpering to himself. Shifu Scolded the Elephant and immediately he began to leave. But before Constable Hu left, he looked at Po and said "Terribly sorry for the misfortune Dragon Warrior." Po merely nodded and with that, the elephant left the Hall.

Shifu then addressed his students, "Well, we all should turn in early for the night since we have quite the journey ahead of us." His students all agreed, except for Po that is, and soon all of the Masters left the Hall. All the while Po was hobbling on his crutch alongside Tigress as he continued to mutter under his breath, "Stupid Chang and his stupid party…stupid broken leg…stupid." All the while Tigress remained silent as she listened to the Panda quietly vent to himself as they slowly made their way over to the student barracks. This was going to be quite the week for her; that was for sure.

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**And that is the first Chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it, and remember... **

**REVIEW!**


	2. A Palace To Ourselves

**Wow! What a response to the first chapter! I mean, I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting it. I'm thrilled though that you guys are excited about the story though. I was a bit surprised to see some people are concerned that I won't finish the story though...Come on guys, when Have I ever not finished a story for you? And I know that a lot of people are waiting for me to start Kung Fu Panda: Time...Waits For No One. But I will not work on more then one story at a time. I tried that once and my updates were not nearly as frequent as a result, so I decided I wouldn't do that any more. Plus this way I don't alter the characters from the stories. But enough about that. Chapter 2 is done and ready to go, So Enjoy The Read!**

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**Chapter 2**

**A Palace to Ourselves  
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**The Next Morning…**

The Masters all stood at the top of the Thousand Steps leading down into the Village, as Po and Tigress were bidding their friends goodbye. Zeng, the Palace Messenger was also present with his broom, ready to start sweeping the grounds once the Masters left. Master Shifu stepped forward saying "We should be returning back to the Palace here within the week. Zeng, I have placed Master Tigress in charge of the Jade Palace in my absence. If she requires anything at all, do not hesitate to accommodate her. Also, keep in mind to check in on the Dragon Warrior from time to time as well." Zeng bowed to Shifu as he said, "Of course Grandmaster, I will not fail you." Shifu nodded until he heard Po scoff in annoyance.

Shifu then turned to Po who was wearing an incredibly disappointed expression on his face. The Old Master then thought to himself, "_Is he…pouting_?" Shifu then stepped forward once more saying, "Cheer up Panda, I'm sure that with the entire palace to yourselves, you will enjoy yourselves far more than we would in a room filled with a bunch of…um…big shots. Think of it as more of a…vacation." Po then grumbled "Sure…a vacation where I need a Chaperone watching me all hours of the day." Realizing Tigress was literally within striking distance, Po quickly amended himself saying "S-sorry Tigress…I didn't mean to sound…well, mean." But to Po's surprise, Tigress merely shrugged it off. She knew Po was frustrated with the situation and was going to try and remind herself of that while the masters were away. Plus, the whole reason Po wasn't even able to go to this event was because of her. She was the one who unknowingly lead the panda into the trap that placed her friend into his current predicament. Tigress then assured the panda, trying her best to hide her guilt from him as she recalled that horrible day that was just a week ago. "It's alright Po, I understand." Po blinked a few times as he looked at Tigress for a moment. "Oh…" was all he could say. "_Weird…I thought for sure she would at least give me one of her "__**Why do you have to be so annoying**__" looks…huh_."

Monkey then stepped forward saying "Hey, no worries buddy, I promise to be a very convincing Panda." as Monkey tossed one of the shift stones in his hand. Po smiled weakly, as he said "Gee thanks… have fun…I guess. Just try not to say "awesome" all of the time…I don't do that!" Monkey grinned and looked like he was about to argue, but nodded at Po all the same. Mantis then hopped up on Monkey's shoulder as he said "And we'll try to bring ya back some of that fancy food if we can big guy." That brought a small genuine smile to Po's face as he nodded to the insect. Shifu then cleared his throat saying, "Well, we do have a schedule to keep after all. We should get moving. And Panda, do try to behave yourself, and listen to Han and Tigress. We can't have you delaying your recovery now. Am I understood?" Po bowed his head as he leaned on his crutch saying "Yes Master Shifu…I promise I'll be good."

Shifu nodded and then turned to Tigress saying "Very well, Master Tigress, I leave both the Dragon Warrior and the Jade Palace in your capable hands." Tigress brought her fist to her palm and bowed respectfully while saying "I will not fail you Master." Shifu smiled as he said "I do not doubt that. Farewell to all of you." And with that, Shifu began to descend the stairs. Before following her Master, Viper turned to look at Po saying, "Don't worry Po, when we get back we'll tell you all that happened!" Immediately Po's face fell while Crane said "Nice one Viper. Make the guy feel worse." Viper immediately tried to fix her mistake saying "Oh no…what I meant to say was…um… that We'll try not to… have as much fun without you?" Po quietly just said as he looked to the ground "Just go…have a good time." Viper looked a bit saddened, but decided that it would be best if she just left, and so she did. Soon, all the Masters save for Po and Tigress, were gone.

After watching their comrades leave for a few moments, Tigress turned to Po and said, "Well, they're gone, and that means we have the Jade Palace to ourselves…mostly." As she looked at Zeng who had walked off to start sweeping the Sparing arena. Po just looked up into the sky and said in a sarcastic tone "Woo hooo. An empty Palace, with just the two of us…Fun." Tigress was about to say something when Po sighed and beat her to it, "I'm sorry Tigress…I didn't mean to be a jerk…I'm just…upset." Tigress was silent for a moment before she placed a paw on Po's shoulder and said "I know and it's alright…Now…I need to do some training and that means you are coming with me to the training hall." Po then whined "Aw man! Do I have to!?" Tigress then folded her arms and said "Not unless you'd rather I leave you alone in your room…where you will stay until I finish my training…and you know how much I like my training. I could be in the training hall for hours on end." Po just frowned at her as he grumbled "Fine… at least I won't be alone in the training hall." Tigress smiled and together, she and Po began to leave the steps.

As they walked, Tigress had an idea. "Say, how about before we get to the training hall, we stop at the Hall of Heroes and get you a few of the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu to read while I train? You may not be able to train physically but you can still exercise your mind and learn." Po just shrugged as he said "Fine by me." Tigress was a bit surprised at Po's response. She then asked, as they slowly made their way to the Hall, "So…what number scroll are you on anyway? 15…16?" Tigress knew Po wasn't the type to read much, not unless it was an exciting story about some Kung Fu Legend or artifact of course. But Po's next answer caused her to stop dead in her tracks. "Number 142 I think is the next one Shifu wanted me to read." Po noticed Tigress wasn't beside him anymore and so he stopped and leaned on his crutch a bit as he turned and noticed she had stopped a little ways away, her eyes wide with surprise.

"What?" Po asked as Tigress shook her head and said "Forgive me…I just never expected you to have read that much in so short a time…considering how you hate reading most of the time." Po shrugged as he revealed, "Well, while you guys are always training in the training hall, Shifu usually leaves me a few scrolls to read while I wait in my room for you guys to finish up. Then he tests me to make sure I actually read them, and if I fail, he makes me read them…again. Let's just say I learned to actually pay attention to what's in those scrolls. I swear, I had to read number 22 like three times before Shifu was satisfied." Po actually chuckled at the memory, resulting in Tigress giving a smile of her own. Po saw it and his smile widened even more. He really liked it when Tigress smiled. The times she did were few and far between…but right now, the way the light reflected off of her just then…Po couldn't put to words. "_Huh…something seems different about Tigress today…She looks really…nice …today." _Tigress then asked in a voice filled with slight concern, "Po? Is something wrong?" Immediately Po shook his head from his thoughts and said "Sorry…daydreaming again. I'm fine." Tigress nodded and together the two entered the Hall of Heroes, all the while Po was thinking to himself. "_Wow…that was kinda weird…I think._"

**Meanwhile…**

The Masters of the Jade Palace were just about to leave the village when Viper stopped to look back up at the Palace on the mountain top. Shifu noticed her stopping and so he too stopped, along with the rest of his students and asked "Master Viper, is something wrong?" Viper then turned to Shifu and said "Well…to be truthful Master, I am a bit concerned." Crane then said "Aw Don't worry Viper, Tigress is more than capable of taking care of Po by herself." Mantis then added, "Besides, she's got Han and Zeng to help out in case something happens, so no worries!" Viper then said as she looked at her comrades, "It's not Po I'm worried about…I'm concerned about Tigress."

Shifu then asked, his voice rather quizzical, "What do you mean?" Viper then said "It's just…have any of you noticed how unusually attentive Tigress has been to Po lately?" Monkey then said, "Not really no." Viper then went on," Well I have. We all take turns watching Po and making sure he doesn't hurt himself more than he already is, but Tigress is by far with him more than the rest of us." Mantis then said, "Really? I never noticed." Viper then finished, "And then there's the way she volunteered to stay behind to watch Po and the Palace." Shifu then said, "Yes, but she said that was because she doesn't exactly like going to these events. Get to the point Master Viper." Viper nodded as she finished, "I just hope that she isn't blaming herself for what happened to Po is all. And that that's why she's been helping him more than the rest of us."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, as the other Masters let that sink in, before Crane cleared his throat and said, "Well…to be fair…it kind of was her fault…sort of." Shifu then said, "Yes…though it is unfortunate, Tigress did chase after Temutai alone, and fell right into his and the Lin Kuei's trap as a result. Thus becoming the bait for the Dragon Warrior, who was their actual target." Viper lowered her head as she recalled the day Po was broken by the Lin Kuei. Shifu then straightened himself up as he continued "Worry not Master Viper, I am sure the Dragon Warrior does not blame Tigress for his injuries, and Tigress is not one to dwell on such things for long. I am sure that both of them will be more than fine until we return." Viper smiled as she looked up at her Master and said "You're right Master…I suppose I am being a bit silly." Shifu nodded before turning back to the path and said, "We have wasted enough time. Let us be off." And with that, Shifu and his four students began to leave the village.

**At that Moment, deep within the mountains inside Temutai's crumbling castle…**

Temutai was sitting on his throne holding his head in his right hoof as he pondered over what his subordinate had just told him. The Leader of the Qidan had been quiet for quite some time now which was incredibly unusual, making his solider that much more nervous as he knelt before the massive water buffalo. Finally Temutai spoke, his tone full of disappointment. "So…that is why Hai Lang has not sent word of the Dragon Warrior's demise to me?" The Soldier bowed his head as he said "Y-Yes Lord Temutai…Our spies have informed us that the Dragon Warrior still lives, and that he defeated the Lin Kuei when they invaded the Jade Palace."

Temutai was silent for a brief moment before he let out a loud Roar of frustration "RAAAAAARRRGGHHH!" As he got to his feet, Temutai broke off a chunk of his stone throne and threw the rock at his subordinate. The rock slammed into the poor soul and knocked the lackey off his feet and down to the ground on his back. Temutai was now pacing back and forth as he shouted "I cannot BELIEVE THIS! Those stupid wolves were supposed to eliminate the Dragon Warrior ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Temutai then stalked over to the window and looked out it as he continued "I knew and alliance with those thieves was a bad idea…But that Hai Lang fellow is quite the smooth talker."

Temutai then looked back to the soldier and asked "Where is that lousy good for nothing now!?" the soldier, had just finished getting himself out from underneath the rock as he said "Ugh…The Lin Kuei…have been taken to Chor Gohm prison, Lord Temutai sir." Temutai then Turned his back once again and began muttering to himself, "I just don't get it…I saw the Dragon Warrior beaten to a bloody pulp! How could he take down villains as cunning and diabolical as the Lin Kuei in his…con-di-tion…" As Temutai said the last word slowly though, a thought suddenly occurred to him and he began muttering to himself out loud, "The Dragon Warrior is wounded…and that means, that he cannot protect himself. Those wolves may have failed at destroying the Dragon Warrior, but they don't have the number of followers that I possess! If I am going to be rid of the Dragon Warrior once and for all, then the time to strike is NOW!"

Temutai then turned to his subordinate and ordered, "Send our spies to the Valley of Peace! I want to know just how badly injured the Dragon Warrior is. Also, We will need to come up with a strategy to get rid of the rest of those pesky Kung Fu Masters…especially that Tiger lady…***Shivers*** Man…she gives me the willies." Temutai then turned to a soldier posted at the door and ordered "You there! Come up with a strategy to deal with the other Masters of the Jade Palace!" Immediately the Qidan member dropped his spear in surprise, but quickly picked it up and said "Y-yes Lord Temutai!" and quickly left the throne room. Temutai's eyes then fell onto the lackey he was originally talking with as he shouted "Well, Don't just stand there! I gave you an order! Go and send out our spies THIS INSTANT!" The soldier then bowed his head and said "Yes Lord Temutai!" and quickly ran out of the room.

Soon, Temutai was left all alone in his throne room, as he slowly made his way over to the half destroyed throne. After looking at it for a moment, Temutai then muttered "I really need to hire an interior decorator…***sigh***" As Temutai sat down he placed his head back into his hoof and said to no one in particular, "One way or another, I will not foil this opportunity to put an end to the Dragon Warrior. And once I have finally rid this land of that pesky panda, all will cower in fear of to the Great Lord Temutai! LEADER OF THE QIDAN! Heh heh…Ha ha ha ha ha!...AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!.-***hack***!? * **cough*** **cough***... Somebody get me some WATER!...RIGHT NOW! ***Cough***"

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**Well That's Chapter 2! Po and Tigress have been left behind at the Palace and Shifu and the rest of his students are on their way to Chang's. Meanwhile, Temutai is hatching a plan to take out the Dragon Warrior once and for all. Thanks for reading, and remember...**

**REVIEW.**

**P.S.- I always finish my stories. I absolutely hate when I find a story and I start reading it only to get to the latest chapter and it just stops. then you look at the last update and you see it's been like 2 years since an update and you just want to scream in annoyance...I swear I won't do that to you guys. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Can't leave you alone

**Chapter 3 is done. And yes I know chapter 2 may have been a bit on the shorter side but hey, they can't all be super long. it could be a lot worse, I could be someone who still writes 8oo word chapters. You know, speaking of my chapter length, I noticed some new reviews to my first Fic I ever posted, KFP: A New Journey. as I'm re-reading this fic I found myself asking, "Wow, did I really write this?" Just because of the grammar and chapter lengths. Makes me realize that I have improved as a writer, hence why I refuse to fix it. kinda my way of showing how I've grown. and that's thanks to you all who support my stories. So Thank you.**

**Enjoy The Read...**

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**Chapter 3**

**Can't leave you alone**

It was the early hours of the morning, the first rays of sunshine just starting to peek out over the mountains down upon the Jade Palace. As the sun's rays began to breach their way through the rice paper walls of Master Tigress's room, the Tiger continued to toss and turn as she was once again plagued by her all too familiar nightmare…

**Within Tigress's Nightmare…**

Tigress could only watch as Crane hoisted her high up into the air by her vest. As she looked down upon her friend surrounded by the Lin Kuei, she was forced to stare at that panda's same forgiving smile as he stared back at her…Gods how she hated being forced to watch that stupid look of acceptance. Tigress quickly screamed, "Let me go Crane! Po's-" But before she could even finish, the Chain hammers flew once again, as Tigress screamed once more "NOOO!" And yet again, she was forced to relive the unsightly battering of her best friend, as the hammers came at him from all directions. But what was really tearing at her was the panda's cries of pain as each hammer mercilessly assaulted the bear, breaking his bones…and breaking her spirit.

As the Panda laid there on the ground trying to get to his feet, gasping in unimaginable pain, Hai Lang walked up to him, spinning that god forsaken spiked chain hammer above his head. Yet again, Tigress screamed "Stay away from him!" but at her words the sinister wolf looked up at her and grinned wickedly as he snarled "This…is all YOUR fault! You did this to your precious PANDA!" Tigress's eyes widened in shock at his words and then it happened. Hai Lang slammed his Chain hammer d own upon the Panda's head, and Po was down. "RAAWWWWRRR!" Tigress roared as she finally fought her way out of Crane's grip, finally falling towards the ground once more. Yet once again, as she reached the wolf, Hai Lang was gone in a puff of white smoke.

After looking around briefly Tigress's eyes quickly fell on the panda, as her eyes widened in shock at the amount of blood he was losing. Quickly Tigress dropped to her knees and lifted Po's head in her arms as she tried to shake her friend awake. "Po! Po wake up! Please!" but there was no response, the panda just laid there motionless in her arms. Tigress looked around furiously shouting "Crane! Viper!? Somebody help me!" But no one came. Tigress was all alone with Po in her arms. She looked down at her fallen comrade and noticed he didn't even look like he was breathing. Nervously, Tigress slowly placed two of her fingers along his neck to feel a pulse…but there was none. "No…" Tigress whispered as she cried out to the Panda "No! Po…Please, wake up ppanda! You're not dead, you can't be! Po…" But the Panda just laid there limp in her arms, completely unresponsive.

Tigress felt something wet threatening to fall from her eyes, as she wiped the foreign substance away. "_Tears_?" She thought to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried…probably not since her time in the Orphanage. "You've failed him…Tigress." Tigress whirled around to see Master Shifu of all people standing there, his face completely serious and full of disappointment. Tigress tried to say something, but all she could manage was "Master…!" Suddenly the remaining members of the Five were surrounding her as she continued to just kneel there holding the panda. Crane then looked at Po as he said sadly, "He sacrificed himself for you Tigress." Viper then asked "Why couldn't you just get past it?" Tigress then looked at Viper asking "What do you mean?" Monkey then said, "You just couldn't handle it, could you? You couldn't handle the fact that Po bailed you out of trouble with the Qidan that day." Tigress recalled how Po had come to her aide that day when she was surrounded by many of the Qidan warriors. Mantis then said as he pointed a claw at the Tiger Master, "And now, because of your selfish pride, Po's in rough shape and it's all your fault!"

Tigress wanted to run away right then but suddenly Po began to stir in her arms and her attention went back to the Panda. "Po!" Tigress cried out in joy, as the panda's eyes opened halfway. "Why?" Po whispered in a weak voice. Tigress actually had to lean a bit closer to hear him as he tried to cough, "Why? Why did you…do this to me? I thought we were…Best friends?" Tigress's world stopped as she listened to Po's words. But nothing could prepare her for what he said next. "What kind of **Monster**…would do this…to a friend?" and then, everything went dark.

**Back in Tigress's room…**

Tigress bolted forward as she half shouted "NO!" but instantly clamped her mouth shut as she realized she was back in her room. After taking several deep breaths, she sighed as she lowered her head in frustration. "Again…that same stupid dream again…Po…" AS Tigress sat there on her mat, she reflected upon the reoccurring nightmare. No matter how many times that panda told her his condition wasn't her fault…She knew better. Her Pride had gotten the better of her that day and Po had paid the price for it. No matter how she looked at it, this was all her fault and she would spend however much time it took making this up to her friend. "_However long it takes_." Tigress thought to herself as she got to her feet.

After quickly fixing her fur, Tigress noticed that the light was only just getting brighter outside; that meant the morning gong had yet to ring which meant Po should still be asleep. Tigress then thought for a moment before deciding to exit her room and walk across the hall towards the Panda's room. She was surprised to hear it wasn't snoring coming from the room, but a string of incoherent murmurs and mumbles. Slowly, Tigress slid open the door and poked her head into Po's room. As her eyes landed on the panda's bed, she noticed Po's broken leg propped up on several pillows, while his right arm laid across his chest in its sling, with his crutch near his bed in case he had to get up in the middle of the night, just like she left him the night before. But something was clearly wrong with the panda.

Po's head was tossing back in forth as his eyes closed even tighter than before, his breathing rather erratic. His murmurs were completely in coherent, but Tigress could tell Po was obviously having a nightmare. "_Looks like I'm not the only one having trouble with sleep these days_." Tigress thought to herself, as she walked into the room. She soon approached the panda's bedside and noticed a slight dampness to the Panda's forehead, once she placed her paw on it. To her surprise, at the sense of her touch Po finally muttered a word she could understand "T-Tigress…***Grunts**" Po was clearly still asleep, but it rattled Tigress a bit knowing he was having a nightmare with her being a part of it. Unsure of what to do, Tigress did the only thing she could think of and began to stroke the Panda's head while whispering "Shhh…it's alright Po…you're safe…Just relax…You're…you're okay." as she finished awkwardly, still feeling the effects of her own nightmare.

Apparently though, the sound of her voice was actually having an effect on the Panda, as he slowly stopped tossing his head around and his breathing became less erratic, until his face formed a slight smile and Tigress knew he wasn't having the nightmare anymore. Soon the Panda's iconic snoring resumed and Tigress knew he'd be fine. As she turned to leave, she stopped at the door long enough to take one last look at Po's wrapped up stomach and sighed, before finally exiting the room.

Once outside in the hall, the Morning Gong had sounded and the day had begun anew. Tigress knew Po would sleep through it though, because every morning that week Shifu had allowed the Panda to sleep through the gong while the Masters trained. After all, the more time Po spent in his dreams just meant he would be spending less time waiting for them to finish the day's training. Though, Tigress couldn't help but feel like Po was going to have a REALLY hard time getting back into the morning routine. As she stood out in the hall Tigress began to think to herself, "_He'll be out for a while yet…Perhaps I can get some training in before he wakes. I'm sure he'll be alright for an hour or two at most. For crying out loud, Po's been known to sleep an entire day off away_." Convinced that the panda would be safe in the Barracks alone while he slept, Tigress began to make her way over to the Training Hall for some early morning training before breakfast.

**Two hours later…**

Po slowly opened his eyes as he woke up from yet another night of restless dreams. Except this time, he felt better this morning then he had mornings past. Something was different about his dreams today, though he couldn't put a finger on it. Slowly, Po began to sit himself upright, being extra careful not to put any strain on his leg or stomach. It took him a few days, but he was finally starting to be conscious of how he woke up with his injuries to Han's relief. The first day he woke up after the Lin Kuei attacked, Po had unwittingly placed his left foot on the ground and once he put weight on it, was instantly on the ground thriving in pain. The next two days, Po had someone stay with him in his room in case he needed to get up during the night to help him out of bed. It was one thing for his Dad to spoil him when he was sick or something, but having his friends helping him all the time…it just made Po feel like an even bigger burden then he already sometimes felt he was.

After a heavy sigh, Po looked around, it was clearly past mid-morning, and knowing Tigress, she was probably in the training hall thinking he would still be asleep. As Po contemplated on what he should do, he heard a loud rumble coming from below. As he looked at his stomach Po patted it with his left hand and said "Heh heh…alright, guess that answers that question." As Po looked up he noticed his door was left open. "Tigress must have checked in on me during the night." Po reasoned as he called out. "Zeng!...Buddy!?" no response. Po then called out "Han!?...Tigress!?... Anyone!?" there was still no response. After a quick sigh, Po said "Oh well, I'm sure I can get myself some breakfast without any trouble." And with that, Po reached for his crutch and carefully got up, making sure to place all his weight onto his right foot. After he was up, Po carefully hobbled his way to the door, slid it open completely, and left his room heading towards the kitchen.

It took him some time, but eventually Po managed to make his way over to the kitchen, panting only slightly. As he entered, he noticed that the kitchen was perfectly clean. "Tigress must have skipped breakfast…maybe I can make her something to say thanks for looking after me…I was kind of a jerk yesterday." As the Panda remembered how miserable he was the day before. Not with Tigress, just in general. Po made his way over to the counter and set his crutch against it as he said "Alright…now what sounds good?" realizing he probably couldn't make his noodles without both his hands, Po decided on trying to make some dumplings for breakfast. After Po got all the ingredients and utensils he would need, Po slowly began to make the dumplings. With only one hand, it proved to be quite the challenge, but Po was successful all the same. They weren't the best looking dumplings he'd ever made, but it was the taste that mattered and Po was hoping Tigress would see that…or rather taste that…right?

As Po was pondering the random question in his head, he didn't notice that he had accidently spilt some flour onto the floor beside him. Unbeknownst to the panda, Po had reached for his crutch and was about to go to the one side of the kitchen for a couple of smaller bowls for the dumplings, but when he placed the end of his crutch onto the ground where the flour had spilt, the crutch had slipped out from underneath the Panda causing Po to Panic as he fell forward "WAAAAHHH!?" ***THUD*** GYAAAAHHH!Ooohoooo…Ow…" Po whimpered in pain. He had literally fallen forward onto not only his stomach but his broken arm too. The initial impact had caused some intense pain, but it was dissipating relatively quickly as the panda tried to push through it "Aw Noodles!" Po cursed as he rolled onto his back. His stomach hurt and his arm was in pain, but as he looked up he noticed the bowl of Dumplings wobbling on the side of the counter. Apparently, his impact had shaken the counter top so much that the dumplings were moved just to the edge and were about to fall. "Aw, crud." Po breathed out, as the bowl began to fall over the counters edge and right towards his face crashing over the Panda's head and instantly, Po's world was dark.

**Meanwhile, in the training hall…**

Tigress was racing through the Obstacle Course as she maneuvered past the swinging clubs of oblivion, and down into the sea of spinning warriors. She quickly made her way through the gauntlet and out to the other side where she raced for a raised platform and jumped onto it, shouting "TIME!" One of the Palace servants, a Pig wearing a Jade green robe glanced at an hour glass that was marked to allow one to determine how much time had passed. The servant then looked over to Master Tigress and said cheerfully "5 and a half minutes Master Tigress! That marks a new record by a whole half minute, congratulations Master!" Tigress nodded as she began stretching out her arms and legs. "Good…now what to do next?" Suddenly she listened to her stomach rumble for a brief moment. "Guess that answers that ques-…Oh Gods…I forgot about Po!"

Immediately Tigress raced through the doors of the training hall leaving the pig servant behind. As Tigress ran she rushed right past Zeng who was now sweeping the steps leading into the student barracks. Zeng looked up and greeted, "Good Morning Master Ti-***HONK***!?" as Tigress rushed past the goose in a hurry and through the doors to the barracks. "_Something must be wrong. If Master Tigress is this worked up, then it must be pretty serious_." And so Zeng followed her through the door.

Tigress was racing down the hall until she came to Po's room. When she opened his door, she looked in to see he was nowhere to be seen. "_Where IS he? Did something happen_!?" But immediately Tigress knew she was being ridiculous. Po probably just woke up and was getting some breakfast or going to the bathroom. Tigress immediately turned and closed the door, hurrying down the hall towards the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen she walked inside and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. Po was lying on his back, pieces of a shattered serving bowl all around his head with several sloppy looking dumplings littering the floor. But Tigress couldn't careless bout the food or the broken dish, for when she looked at her friend, she was reminded of the moment he had been battered mercilessly by the Lin Kuei.

Shaking herself back from her thoughts, Tigress knelt down beside the panda shouting "PO!?" immediately she felt for a pulse and was relieved to have found a strong one. Po was alright. Or at least alive. Zeng had then arrived and once he saw the unconscious panda, he panicked "***HONK***! Master Po! Oh my, is he alright!? What happened? What should we do!?" Tigress then looked up at the goose and said seriously, "Get Han the palace healer and bring him to Po's room, NOW!" Zeng immediately nodded his head and flew out the door. Tigress then slowly began to pick Po up in her arms, careful not to bend his arm too much. As for his leg, there wasn't much she could do about that until she got Po to a bed. She then began to carry the panda out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Once Tigress got Po into his room, she carefully adjusted his injured leg placing the pillows underneath it and was about to check his wrappings when Han and Zeng had appeared at the door. "What has happened? The goat had asked as he approached the Dragon Warrior. Tigress then responded as she looked at the panda, "I don't know, when I found him in the kitchen he was already unconscious. I looked like he was hit in the head with a bowl of dumplings of something. I was just about to check his wrappings." Han nodded and he soon began to undress the Dragon Warrior's wrappings around his stomach. When he had them removed, the old goat sighed as he said, "He has torn a few of his stitches, I will need to fix that at once. Zeng, fetch me some hot water!" Zeng immediately complied and left for the kitchen. Moments later, Zeng had returned and placed the pot of water on the nightstand. Hand then soaked a surgical needle in the water and threaded it, as he began to work on the Dragon Warrior's wounds.

Tigress waited as the goat worked on the panda. When he was done, he snipped the thread and began wrapping up Po's stomach once more. When he was finished, the goat examined Po's leg, as well as his arm. After a few minutes of nothing, Han turned to Tigress and said "Well, I believe that no additional serious harm has been done to the Dragon Warrior. The worst part was his stitches being re-opened but those are easy enough to fix, especially when he is unconscious. I suspect he will wake relatively shortly." Tigress released a sigh as she said "Good…I admit I was concerned." Han then struggled with something for a moment before asking "Forgive me Master Tigress…but…are you not supposed to be watching the Dragon Warrior? How is it that this has happened under your watch?"

Tigress was silent for a long time before she admitted, "I was in the training hall…and I lost track of time." Han nodded as he then said, "Well…if I may make a suggestion Master…perhaps the next time you wish to train…you should make sure the Dragon Warrior is present, so that this does not happen again. The Dragon Warrior is quite lucky it was only a bowl that fell on his head…This time." and with that, Han began to leave followed closely by Zeng.

Once Tigress was alone with Po she looked at the panda and muttered to herself, "I was careless…this whole thing could have been avoided if I just waited to train or woke him up…but no. Now you're in even more pain and once again it's my fault…some best friend I am." And soon tigress took a seat at the side of Po's bed and leaned up against it. She looked over at the panda, who looked like he was just sleeping, the steady rise and fall of his chest like a metronome. "_I need to be more careful with him…before something else happens_." Tigress thought to herself. She was about to begin meditating when she heard a low groan. "Oooohh…My head…Tigress?" as Po was holding his head with his free hand, Tigress whirled around and asked "Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Po continued to hold his head as he looked at Tigress closely. She looked like a nervous wreck, "_Just how long was I out_? Po wondered to himself as he lied, "No, nothing hurts…Not really."

Once Tigress helped Po sit up, he looked around and saw he was back in his room, "How did I get back here?" the Panda asked. Tigress then said, "I carried you here once I found you in the kitchen…Po I'm sor-" But Tigress was interrupted as the panda said "Tigress, I'm sorry." Tigress's eyes widened but Po never noticed, he was too busy looking down at his leg, so he took her silence as a cue for him to continue. "I was trying to make you some breakfast to say thanks for staying behind to take care of me and I slipped and fell and hurt myself again…I'm sorry." Po looked up and saw that Tigress's face was blank. "_He's sorry!? I'm the one who should be apologizing for leaving him alone_!" Tigress was about to say something when Po continued "I promise I'll be more careful and try to be less of a burden…I just wanted to do something nice to say thanks is all." Tigress almost couldn't take it, but she sighed and decided to let Po have his way, knowing otherwise they would probably spend the next hour going back and forth about whose fault it was, as she said, "It's alright Po…And I'll try to remember to be more attentive to you from now on." Po's eyes fell once again. He clearly didn't like the situation, but mumbled an "Alright." anyway.

Tigress then got up and tried to ease the tension, "But for crying out loud Po, I can't leave you alone for a few hours without you knocking yourself unconscious?" Po felt that was a bit harsh, but realized what Tigress was trying to do and smiled as he said "I guess not…sorry." But Tigress shrugged as she said "It's all in the past. I'm just glad your injuries weren't that severe. Han had to fix some of your stitches, but nothing too serious." Po instinctively looked at his stomach when Tigress then said, "Come on panda, let's give those dumplings another go. I'll help this time." Po smiled and once Tigress handed him his crutch, the two began to make their way over to the kitchen once more, with Tigress walking closely behind Po, ready to move in case he fell again.

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**In case you haven't noticed, this story is one that shows the Bond Po and Tigress share, and as they spend more time together, how it slowly changes possibly into something more. Also about whether or not Tigress can forgive herself for what happened to Po. So there may be a few chapters that aren't too exciting throughout the story, but the excitement will come. That I promise. Thanks for reading and remember...**

**REVIEW...**


	4. Have a little faith

**Chapter 4 is done. Sorry about not posting it yesterday, but I had a little car trouble. Blew out the side of my one tire and Now I have to drob some serious cash to get it replaced...such is life. This chapter was a bit of a struggle for me but I managed to finish. Enjoy the read.**

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**Chapter 4**

**Have a little faith.**

Shifu and the four Masters were traveling the main road on the way to Chang's estate. It was high noon on the second day that they were traveling and they still had a little over a day before they would make it to Chang's home. As the Master's walked Mantis was just getting finished suggesting, "-All I'm saying is that it might be a good idea if you practiced your Po impression a bit." Monkey then looked back at the Insect as he rode atop Cranes hat and said rather annoyed "For the last time Mantis, I don't need any practice!" Crane then added, " I don't know monkey, Po seemed to think you over used the word awesome quite a bit." Monkey muttered under his breath "Everybody's a critic."

As they continued arguing as they walked, Shifu was becoming increasingly frustrated with his students, when he noticed Viper was unusually quiet. His curiosity piqued, Shifu allowed the other Masters to create some distance between Viper and himself and once they could talk privately, Shifu then asked, "Master Viper, you have been quiet for quite some time now. Is everything alright?" Viper continued to look forward as she said "Of course Master, everything's fine why wouldn't it be?" Yet Shifu could tell Viper was lying, so he called her out on it. "Viper, it is not wise for one to keep their problems to themselves. As your Master, I hope that you know you can certainly come to me with your concerns." Again Viper was silent as they continued to walk behind the others.

For a while, no one said a word. But after a few moments Viper eventually conceded and said, "I guess I just feel bad about Po not being able to go to this event. You saw how happy he was when he learned he was invited." Shifu nodded as he said "Yes well, we all know that there will be plenty more parties in the future for Po to attend, but is that all that's troubling you?" Viper sighed as she admitted, "No Master…it is not." Shifu then gestured to the snake to continue with his right hand, "Then by all means, please go on." Viper took a deep breath before revealing, "To be honest…I'm worried about Tigress." Shifu raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Is this about what we talked about yesterday? Viper I told you, I'm sure Po doesn't blame Tigress for what happened." Viper then looked to Shifu before saying, "To be honest Master, I think it would be easier on her if he did." Shifu was a bit confused as he asked "What do you know Master Viper that I do not?" Viper sighed as she lowered her head and said "Well, let's just say that I do know a bit more then I let on yesterday Master…but I never said anything out of respect for Tigress." After a moment Viper then continued "It was about three days after Po got hurt. I couldn't sleep, so I got up to get some water…"

**Three nights after The Lin Kuei Attacked…**

Viper was exiting her room when she tensed; she immediately sensed the presence of another in the Hall with her. When she turned she noticed it was non-other than Tigress sitting there in the hallway in front of her own door across from Po's room, her gaze locked upon the Panda's door. Viper relaxed once she realized that it was Tigress in the hall and decided to approach her. She was a bit surprised when Tigress never acknowledged her so Viper was first to speak whispering, "Tigress, what are you doing up? I thought Mantis was bunking with Po tonight?" Tigress flinched, which caused Viper to become even more concerned. No one could sneak up on Tigress normally, which meant something was seriously troubling the Tiger Master. "Viper!? What are you doing out here? You should be asleep." Viper then countered, "I just asked you the same thing and you should be in bed too!" When Viper finished she saw Tigress's ears flatten as she returned her gaze back to Po's door.

After Tigress didn't answer Viper grabbed her paw and said "Come with me." Tigress looked like she didn't want to leave, but after a moment, she conceded and followed Viper down the hall. Viper then lead Tigress outside into one of the Palace gardens so that they could talk openly without fear of waking up their friends. Once Tigress was sitting on a stone bench, Viper asked "Tigress, what were you doing outside Po's room?" Tigress remained silent for a while before she answered "I was just making sure he was alright…that he didn't try to get up on his own for a midnight snack or something." Viper then said, "But Tigress…that's why Mantis is staying with Po tonight, and Po knows that if he were to wake up for whatever reason, that he is to let whoever's staying with him know so they can help him. Shifu made him promise to do so, remember?" Tigress turned to face away from Viper and began to stare at one of the flowers in the garden.

Viper had a feeling that something else was troubling Tigress, but if she was going to get Tigress to tell her, she needed to be careful and sensitive. Viper then said while trying to ease the tension, "Well…I do think it's nice of you to want to take care of Po Tigress, but we all agreed to help take care of him and-" But Viper was cut off as Tigress interrupted her in a quiet whisper "-It's my fault." Viper looked at Tigress for a moment before Tigress continued, "This all happened because of me…because I was careless and lead Po straight into that trap!" Tigress got up and was now pacing in front of Viper as she continued, her voice getting louder as she spoke, "Because of me, Po is hurt and there's nothing I can do to fix it! Every time I look at him, I'm reminded that he's like this because I was reckless and lost my focus. Because I put my own feelings before the mission of all things!…It's all my fault!" with that, Tigress whirled around and delivered a powerful Drop Kick to the Bench shouting "HYAAAAHH!" breaking the stone seat in two instantly.

Viper watched with wide eyes as Tigress took several deep breaths trying to calm herself down. To be honest, Viper couldn't remember a time when Tigress expressed herself so openly before, which was part of the reason the snake was so silent. After a moment, Tigress straightened up and said without turning her back away from the snake, "Apologies Master Viper, my…temper…got the better of me once again." Viper realized Tigress was trying to retreat back into her emotional shell and quickly said, "It's alright Tigress, it's just you and me out here, nobody else." After letting Tigress a chance to calm down, Viper then said, "Tigress, you know Po doesn't blame you for what happened, you're his best friend, he knows you didn't mean for him to get hurt like that…we all know that. It was an accident, a mistake, nothing more." Tigress then stood up and began walking towards the barracks as she left while saying one last thing. "Yes, a mistake that nearly cost me my best friends life…a mistake I swear that I will never make as long as I live." And with that, Viper was left alone in the garden as she looked up at the moon and whispered, "Oh Tigress…why must you always punish yourself so harshly?" as Viper began to make her way back to her own room as well.

**Back with Shifu and Viper…**

Shifu was silent after hearing Viper's story for a long time and Viper was worried that she might have made a mistake in revealing this to her Master. But after a moment, Shifu sighed as he said. "If there is one thing Tigress has never been able to cope well with, it's failure. For years, she has strived to become the perfect warrior, the ultimate Master of Kung Fu. I remember meeting few others who have shown the amount of commitment she had dedicated to Kung Fu and what it stands for. She is indeed strong, but…she also has incredibly high expectations for herself, and bears the responsibility for her comrades on her shoulders alone." Viper then said, "But Master, Tigress doesn't need to carry such a weight by herself. She has friends to help carry the burden for her. We're all comrades, and that means we take care of each other, for each other."

Shifu nodded as he looked over at Viper and smiled before saying "Well said Master Viper, but no matter what the circumstances are, Tigress will always force herself to bear the entirety of the responsibility of any situation. It is as I have said earlier; she expects much of herself as a Kung Fu Master and does not know how to forgive herself for a failure…especially when she believes she is at fault, and the results are as they currently are." Viper lowered her head when Shifu continued. "It is why I have allowed Tigress to stay behind to watch over Po." Viper then looked over at Shifu, slightly confused as Shifu now wore a slight smile on his face. "If anyone is going to be able to convince Tigress to forgive herself for what happened to Po, it will be Po himself. Tigress may not be willing to accept his forgiveness at first…but I believe Po is more than up to the challenge."

Viper smiled as she nodded her head saying "I hope you're right Master Shifu." Shifu nodded as he finished "Tigress may be torturing herself for now with what happened to Po, but I do not believe he will allow her to do so for long. He cares about his friends too much to allow them to suffer so. Have faith Master Viper, for I believe her being with the Dragon Warrior, is exactly what Tigress needs." Again Viper smiled, as she and Shifu began to catch up to the guys, as they continued their way towards Superior Super Intendent Chang's estate.

**Meanwhile…**

High up above the forest path hiding out over a cliff's edge, two members of the Qidan were watching the Masters travel the forest path. The first warrior was counting the masters aloud while the second one merely watched them. "…3…4…5…Shouldn't there be more of them?" The second warrior then said "Of course there should be more of them you idiot! The Dragon Warrior isn't with them and neither is that Master Tigress! You can tell that without having to count them you know." As the two Qidan warriors looked at each other, the second one continued as he said "If the Dragon Warrior is not with the Grand Master, then he must be at the Jade Palace." The first one then said "Um…we already know that the Dragon Warrior's hurt… so shouldn't we have just gone straight for the Jade Palace to begin with?"

The second Warrior merely looked over at his companion and said "And if we did that, we would have no way of knowing that the other Masters would be traveling in the opposite direction. Don't you see? Once we confirm the Dragon Warrior's condition and report back to Lord Temutai, he'll be thrilled to learn that the other Masters aren't going to be around the Dragon Warrior to protect him!" The first Warrior nodded his head as he continued watching the retreating Masters. After a moment though he asked, "So…What do we do now? Do we go and check out the Jade Palace or something?" The second Warrior then said "Of course we do! If we're lucky we'll be able to reach the Valley of Peace Tomorrow. I just hope we can learn about the Dragon Warrior without getting caught by the Master Tigress…they say she's the strongest of the Furious Five." The first warrior then suggested, "The Dragon Warrior must be in a bad way to have the Leader of the Furious Five staying behind with him as protection…assuming they are indeed at the Jade Palace." His companion then nodded his head as he said "For our sakes, I hope they are. Otherwise, Lord Temutai will have our heads for sure. Let's move."

And with that, the two Qidan warriors began to make their way from the cliffs edge and started heading towards the Valley of Peace. "So…just how are we going to learn the extent of the Dragon Warriors injuries anyway?" The first warrior asked, while his companion just sighed and said, "We'll worry about that when we get there. For now, just shut up and walk." And with that the two began heading in the direction of the Jade Palace, and as they walked, the first Qidan warrior mumbled under his breath, "It was an honest question; you don't have to be so mean about it."

**That evening, back at the Jade Palace…**

Tigress was now sitting underneath the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Po had been left back in the student barracks with Zeng, while the goose cleaned the barracks. Zeng had also agreed to stay with the Panda once he finished, so that Po wouldn't be left alone again. After what happened that morning in the kitchen, Tigress wasn't about to leave Po by himself for a while, despite the Panda's many objections. She had been sitting underneath the tree now for about 3 hours, trying to enter a peaceful state of meditation. But every time she closed her eyes, she was met with the frightening images of Po being battered or unconscious and covered in his own blood, forcing her to escape from her thoughts time and time again.

"This is hopeless." Tigress grumbled to herself as she leaned back against the tree trunk and sighed in annoyance. She had not been able to achieve a state of meditation for days now and it was beginning to infuriate her. As she sat there under the peach tree she began looking out into the Village as the sun was beginning to set. She thought about all the times her and Po used to come up here just to watch the sun set together. She didn't know what it was, but without Po next to her going on about his father, or that day's training with Master Shifu, it just didn't feel the same. She may have never really contributed much to the conversations before, but she still enjoyed those times with her friend. "_I wonder what he's up to right now? Knowing Po, he's probably getting hungry right about now, I should probably go and check on him_." and with that, Tigress got up and made her way over to the barracks.

After checking Po's room and finding that Po and Zeng weren't there, Tigress went to check the kitchen. As she neared the door, she could just make out Po's voice as he said "-now just add the vegetables and move over so I can add the secret ingredient." Zeng could be heard just then as Po pushed him away from the stove, "But Master, I can certainly-" But Po interrupted him as he said "Nope. I may not be able to make noodles by myself, but there is no way I'm sharing my dad's secret ingredient." As Tigress entered the kitchen, she noticed Po had placed his massive bulk in front of the pot of noodles so that Nobody could see him add the secret ingredient. Once Tigress saw Po sprinkle whatever it was he added to his soup into the pot, she made herself known as she said, "Forget it Zeng, Po probably wouldn't give up that secret for all the noodles in the world."

Po turned around and smiled as he saw Tigress in the doorway, "Tigress! Just in time. Zeng was awesome enough to help me make dinner. Are you hungry?" Tigress nodded as she walked over and began pouring A few bowls full of soup. Po then asked Zeng, "Are you going to join us Zeng?" Zeng just shook his head no saying, "With all due respect Master, I already have made other dinner arrangements, I bid you both good night." Po raised an eyebrow as he asked "Got a date huh?" Zeng blushed as he began backing out of the kitchen saying "heh heh…well um…uh…g-good night, Masters!" and with that, the goose was gone, leaving Po and Tigress alone in the kitchen.

"Heh, He's so weird sometimes." Po said, as Tigress nodded and brought the bowls over to the table, while Po hobbled over to his seat and set his crutch against the table. As Tigress took her seat she noticed Po was struggling with his chopsticks. He had always had a hard time using his left hand to eat with. So Tigress heaved a heavy sigh and got up and walked around the table. As Po was struggling with his chopsticks, Tigress sat down next to him and took his bowl away from him in her hands, "Hey!?" Po whined as Tigress also took his chopsticks, "I was eating those." Po grumbled as Tigress took the Chopsticks and picked up some noodles, "No you weren't…here." as she began to bring the noodles to the panda. Po blinked several times and sighed, "Great…now I can't even eat by myself." Tigress then said, "Should have thought about that before making something that requires chopsticks…now here." Po stared at Tigress for a brief moment. "_She really is gonna sit there and feed me? Wow_…" as Po opened his mouth and Tigress fed him his noodles.

This went on for several minutes with neither of them saying a word to the other. Once Po's bowl was empty Po finally managed to utter, "Thanks…Tigress." Tigress merely nodded and went back to her own noodles across from Po. While Tigress was now eating, Po was trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Tigress hadn't said a word the entire time she was feeding him…did she not want to help him, but felt obligated to? He could have just slurped the noodles down…it wouldn't have been the first time. Tigress had still avoided making eye contact with him as Po sat there and was beginning to get sick of the awkward silence in the room, so he said, "Hey…there's something I've been wondering." Tigress looked up and asked "What's that?"

Po smiled as he said "Well…You told me that everyone was talking to me while I was unconscious…but I still only remember hearing your voice for some reason." Tigress tensed all of the sudden, which Po found was a bit strange but he continued anyway, "So…I was wondering what they were talking to me about." Tigress had stopped eating and was now looking at Po as he smiled at her, waiting for her to answer. After a moment, Tigress began to smile herself, which caused Po's to grow slightly, while she said. "Well…we were all just remembering certain times when you really helped us out…Han had said that sometimes…hearing…certain people talking to you, could have helped you wake up…so we all took turns telling stories to you…" Po looked at Tigress with a confused look on his face, "Certain people?" Tigress looked away briefly as she responded "Y-yes." She hadn't told Po EXACTLY what Han had said, because she didn't want to make Po feel any more uncomfortable then he already did. Not to mention, she was still trying to wrap her own mind around it herself. Po smiled as he then said rather excitedly, "Well, don't just sit there, tell me what the others said!" Tigress looked up at Po's eager face and just smiled as she began to tell Po about that day."

An hour later, Po and Tigress were still in the kitchen as Po slammed his one hand on the table to keep himself from falling over, "NO WAY! I can't believe Crane told you about the time I showed him how to dance!" Tigress raised an eyebrow and said "You're telling me, I found it hard to believe myself. You actually know how to dance?" Po smiled as he leaned back and said "Yup! I mean obviously I can't show you right now, but yeah, I know how to. I just can't believe he told you guys about it! He was so afraid about what others would think if people saw him dancing with me." Tigress chuckled as she pictured the two dancing in Po's old room.

As she laughed, Po was busy watching her as she was actually enjoying herself, it brought another smile to his face. "_She works so hard every day…more so since I got hurt…it's nice to see her relax a bit…really nice_." Po realized Tigress had been trying to get his attention just then as he shook his head, "Sorry, what did you say Tigress?" Tigress was then saying "I said are you alright panda?" Po nodded as he said "Yeah, sorry. Just a little tired is all I guess." Tigress nodded and said, "Well then let's get you to bed. I'll finish the dishes later." Po nodded, as he was helped to his feet and Tigress led him to his room. Once Po had himself situated Tigress was about to leave when Po called out to her, "Tigress…" Tigress turned to look at the panda who looked like he was struggling with something "Yes?" Tigress asked as Po began to look away, "Nothing…Good night." Tigress nodded and exited the room leaving Po alone with his thoughts. "_What is going on with me_?" Po wondered as he turned his head to look at the ceiling. "_Why do I suddenly feel so strange around Tigress? She's my best friend…so why…?_" But Po decided to leave the wondering for tomorrow, right now, he just wanted to sleep. As he closed his eyes, he silently prayed to the gods that he could get a decent night's sleep. "Sweet dreams Tigress…Zzzz"

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**That's a wrap. Not the most exciting chapter, but then again they can't all be show stoppers. The Qidan are closing in on the palace, what will they find? Po is starting to see Tigress strangely and it only gets more intense from here on...okay maybe intense isn't the right word. Remember...  
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**REVIEW**


	5. Thinking things through Temutai moves

**Sorry it took me a little longer to post this next Chapter, especially during a week where FF seemed a bit slow if you ask me. But Chapter 5 is done and ready for you to read. I got to tell you This story is really kicking my butt. But now that I've gotten past this part, I think the rest of the story will be much easier. YES! Thanks for reviewing and fav/following the story, You guys are awesome! Also...just a little update, been talking with a few writers lately and I'm coming up with even more story ideas, one of which may surprise you to say the least. But I never work on more then one project at a time so you will just have to wait and see. Enjoy The Read.**

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**Chapter 5**

**Thinking things through… Temutai moves out**

**The next day…**

Tigress was racing through the obstacle course at full speed for the fourth time that morning. She was determined to beat that last time she set even if it killed her. As she pressed on, she was now met with the gauntlet of spinning warriors, as she flew into them at full force. She began striking out at the warriors as she made her way through the sea of spinning warriors. She was so close, she could tell she was almost out of time, when a cheerful voice reached her ears, "Come on Tigress, you're almost there! You got this!" a small smile crept across her face as Tigress pressed on, she soon shattered the final warrior and raced for the platform, "_Almost there_…" she thought to herself, and the instant her feet landed on the platform she called out, "TIME!" She heard a low ***Clunk***as Po had stopped the hourglass and began measuring the sands within gauging her time.

While Tigress was catching her breath she held herself up by gripping her knees as she looked over at the panda who was sitting alongside the wall, his left leg outstretched and on a mat while he held the hour glass up to his face and was squinting inside trying to get the most accurate reading he could. The suspense was killing her and she was about to the point where she would go and just take the hourglass away from him for herself, when Po looked over with a big smile on his face as he exclaimed, "5 Minutes even! Wow Tigress, that's incredible! You totally crushed your last time!" Tigress smiled as she heaved a sigh of relief. She had met her goal; outdo her best time by half a minute.

She recalled how Po had cheered her on as she maneuvered the course. And that somehow spurred her forward. As she thought about it some more, she couldn't remember an earlier time before Po came to the palace where anyone would congratulate her on doing so well in training. Shifu never showed her any praise as a child so she never grew to expect any from others. But with it being just the two of them in the training hall with no one to shut him up, Tigress found that she really liked Po's words of praise for her and she couldn't help but smile at him. As Po set the hour glass down he looked over at Tigress and asked "So what's next?" Tigress thought about it for a minute and decided, "I think it's time I work on my balance. Are you alright for now? Do you need anything?" Po just smiled and shook his head no as he said, "Nope, I'm totally awesome! I got my scrolls, some dumplings, I'm good. You just focus on your training." Tigress nodded and made her way over to the Jade Tortoise Shell of Wisdom.

While Tigress was balancing on the Shell practicing her forms, Po was finding himself looking up from his scrolls and over in her direction from time to time, just watching her. As the sun shined in through the windows reflecting off the Shell she was balanced on, Po gazed at the Tiger in wonder. Never before had he saw Tigress quite like the way he saw her today. It was strange. Even though she had been training for hours today already, Tigress never looked more beautiful to Po before. Po's face immediately became one of shock as his eyes widened in realization, "_Wait a minute…why am I suddenly thinking Tigress is beautiful!? I mean, not that she isn't or anything. I mean, come on; she's probably the most beautiful Kung Fu Master in all of China. But…Why do I...?"_ Po couldn't quite explain it, but whenever he watched Tigress right then, his heart suddenly began to beat a little faster. He didn't even notice that Tigress had heard him drop his scroll he was reading and noticed the panda's blank stare as he was sorting through his thoughts.

Tigress immediately called out to him as she brought herself around in a round house kick landing on the edge of the shell perfectly, "Po? Are you alright panda?" But Po continued to just stare into space as he never answered her. Concerned, Tigress leaped off of the tortoise shell and made her way over to the panda. As she neared him, she knelt down to eye level and called out to him once more. "Po!" but she got no response. She then waved her hand in front of Po's eyes to get his attention, "Po?" Tigress asked worriedly. But still the panda did not respond his face blank, and his eyes staring forward as if they couldn't see her. Now Tigress was worried. Po wasn't responding to her at all. As she placed a paw on his forehead she noticed his temperature was a bit high and he had a slight redness to his cheeks. "_Is he sick? Was he not feeling well at all this morning and just never said anything so I could train_!?" Tigress then felt the side of his neck and noticed Po's pulse was rather erratic. Now she was really worried. Was Po in some state of shock? But why? She didn't have time to wonder though as she placed herself in front of the panda and began to shake him by the shoulders. "Po…Po wake up…PO!" but the panda wouldn't respond, his eyes still blank. Finally Tigress sighed as she muttered, "I can't believe you're going to make me do this." As Tigress brought back her paw and struck the panda across the face once with her palm and a second time with the back of the same hand.

Po's eyes began to blink as he began to stutter "Who? What? Where!?... Tigress!? What's going on?" Tigress sighed in relief as she lowered her head briefly. Po was back. She then looked up at the panda and said, "You weren't responding to me at all. I called out to you but it was like you couldn't hear or see me. Are you alright?" The red color around Po's cheeks was now beginning to fade, which Tigress was relieved about as the panda answered, "Y-yeah…I'm sorry Tigress, I don't know what happened." Tigress then said as she got to her feet, "Stay here, I'm going to grab Han, you could be sick." But before Po could object, Tigress was bolting through the doors to the training hall, heading straight for the servant's quarters.

Minutes later, Po heard the doors open once more, as he heard Tigress saying "He's in here Han." Po looked up and saw the goat making his way over to him with Tigress following close behind him. As they approached Han positioned himself in front of the Dragon Warrior and asked "How are you feeling Dragon Warrior?" as he sat his bag of medical supplies down beside him. Po then shrugged as he said simply, "I feel fine. I don't know what happened." Han nodded and began placing his hand up against the panda's forehead. "Hmmm…a little warm yes…Say Ahh." as Han brought forth a tongue presser. "Po opened his mouth and said "Ahhhh." while Han held his tongue down with the stick. After looking at the back of his throat for a minute had removed the stick and opened the Dragon Warrior's right eye lid wide as he looked at the dilation of the panda's pupils. "Hmm…" Han muttered while Tigress watched from nearby as the healer continued examining the panda and asking him questions.

After a few minutes of this, Han noticed the panda was avoiding Tigress's gaze. "_Perhaps he is afraid to say anything in front of Master Tigress. If I am going to get Master Po to tell me what's wrong, she is going to have to leave_." Han then turned to face Tigress and asked, "Master Tigress, I think the Dragon Warrior would benefit from a drink of water, would you be so kind?" Tigress nodded her head, eager to be of assistance, as she said, "Of course!" and quickly dashed out of the training hall. Once she was gone, Han looked over at Po and said, "Well, now that it's just the two of us, tell me Dragon Warrior, what is bothering you?"

Po was silent as he looked at the goat before finally saying, "I…I'm not really sure Han. One minute, everything is alright and I'm okay. The next…I don't know…Tigress is saying stuff like I might be sick. I feel fine now though." Han raised an eyebrow and asked, "Now? Were you not feeling well earlier?" Po shook his head no as he said "No it's not that…at least, I don't think it is…I don't know." Han then asked, "What were you doing when you realized you felt…odd." Po just looked at the goat as he said, "I was sitting here watching Tigress train." Han nodded as he asked, "Anything else?" Po shook his head as he said "No…that's it." Han then looked away briefly as he muttered to himself, "Hmm…interesting." Po was about to ask what was interesting when Tigress had returned. As she knelt down next to Po she handed him the cup of water which he drank entirely.

One Po was finished Tigress took the cup and asked Han, "Is he alright?" Han then stood up and said, "Though I believe the Dragon Warrior may have had a bit of a spell earlier due to his abnormal temperature when I first arrived, I believe that at the moment he is perfectly fine as can be expected." Tigress then asked, "Do you have any idea as to what may have caused his condition earlier?" Han stared at the Dragon Warrior as the panda continued to avoid making eye contact. "I have a few theories, but nothing that I can say for certain at this time. All I can tell you is that if this happens again come and fetch me at once. Until then, do take care of yourself Dragon Warrior." And with that, Han began to leave the hall as the panda called out, "Thanks Doc." As the goat merely waved his hand as he left.

Once they were alone, Tigress looked at the panda and asked, "Are you sure you're alright Po?" but the panda was reaching for his crutch as he tried to pull himself up, "I'm fine Tigress." Seeing he was having some difficulty, Tigress immediately helped him up the rest of the way to his feet, despite receiving an annoying grunt from the panda. "I just want to get some air." as Po began hobbling over to the doors, leaving the scrolls and his dumplings behind. Tigress watched him with a worried expression on her face. "_He's getting frustrated now…I wish he'd tell me what's bothering him_." as Tigress followed him out of the training hall. Soon they were walking along one of the palace gardens as Tigress made a suggestion. "Maybe we could play a game of checkers out here in the gardens?" Po stopped and heaved a heavy sigh. He turned to tigress and was trying his best not to get mad. "Sorry Tigress, but I really just want to clear my head a bit." Tigress nodded as she said, "Of course, we could go up to the peach tree, or maybe the Hall of Heroes." Po's grip tightened a bit on his crutch as he said, "Actually…I just want to be left alone for a little while."

Tigress looked like she thought that wasn't such a good idea and started to say, "Po…after what just happened, I don't think-" But now Po was beginning to lose his temper as he raised his voice a little, "Come on Tigress! Is it really too much to ask for me to want a little privacy?" Tigress raised her eyebrow a bit in surprise as she said, "Well…no, but-" Then Po spat, "Well then just leave me alone already!" Tigress stared at the panda as he began moving away from her and began to make his way over to the peach tree. It took every ounce of her self-control not to rush after him. She didn't want him to trip on the stairs leading up to the peach tree, and she certainly didn't want another episode of what just happened in the training hall to take place again. But Po was frustrated, probably with himself or with his condition. Perhaps he was feeling guilty that she stayed back to take care of him still and he was just reaching a breaking point. Whatever the reason, Tigress had hardly let Po have any space at all over the past couple of days and decided that perhaps, Po having some time to meditate would be beneficial to him. So she let him go as she turned to go back into the training hall to clean up those scrolls and dumplings Po left behind. If Shifu ever came back and found those in the training hall, he wouldn't care if Po was wounded, he'd probably make the panda walk up and down the Thousand Steps a hundred times.

**At that moment…**

High up above the mountain top, the two Qidan warriors were leaning over the edge of a cliff as they saw the Panda slowly make his way over to a peach tree, while the Tiger was heading to a wooden building with a Jade roof that the two had emerged from moments before. Turning to his companion the first Qidan warrior observed, "Looks like you were right. Master Tigress stayed behind with the Dragon Warrior. So what do we do now?" The second warrior then said as he kept his gaze rooted on the panda who was hobbling up the steps to the peach tree, "We go back and report to Lord Temutai. We tell him the Dragon Warrior is completely crippled and that there is no way he can defend himself. Our only obstacle is Master Tigress, but she is only ONE Master." And with that, the two warriors began the journey back to the leader of the Qidan's hideout.

**Six hours later…**

Po had not left the peach tree for almost six hours now, as he continued sitting against the tree asking himself the same questions he had been asking all afternoon. "Why!? What is wrong with me? Why do I suddenly feel so weird when I'm around Tigress all of the sudden? This hasn't happened to me before…so why now?" as Po slammed the back of his head against the base of the tree for about the seventh time that day. He wished his dad was there right then. Heck even Master Shifu would be helpful at this point, if only to tell Po he was being ridiculous. But neither his Mentor nor his Father were around, so he was on his own with this one.

There had to be a reason for why he had been acting so strange lately. This was Tigress for crying out loud, his best friend. Why should he be feeling so weird around her? And why so sudden? Without meaning to, Po began to think back to the first time he ever laid eyes on the Tiger Master. How many years had it been now? 7…8? All he knew for certain was that he was a teenager at the time and the moment he first laid eyes on her was a day he would never forget. He remembered the Five standing at attention on a grand stage in the center of the village, while Master Oogway introduced each Master to the public, with Master Shifu standing alongside his students, his face stern and focused. Finally Grandmaster Oogway had reached the final member of the Five and called out Master Tigress's name to the crowd. Po couldn't take his eyes of her, she looked so calm, so focused, so collected…so Awesome. He could tell she was strong; her mere presence seemed to demand it. As she looked out into the crowd, Po could remember noting that she wasn't looking at anyone in particular, merely staring into the sea of onlookers, while Master Oogway went on with his speech. Po didn't know why at the time, but out of the entire Furious Five, Tigress was the one who captured his attention the most and from that day on he began to look up to her. Even if he never got to meet her and talk to her, having someone as awesome as Tigress to admire from afar was good enough for him.

As Po finished the memory, he began to wonder. Tigress had always captured his attention with her strength and skill, not to mention her never ending drive to protect those who could not protect themselves. They were some of the qualities he admired about her most and what made her stand out from the rest of the Five. Po then began to recall another memory. And as it played in his head he realized it was the Memory Tigress told to him and their friends when he first got hurt. She told them about the day she had told Po her story about growing up in the orphanage and about being called a Monster. He remembered that day well, because it was the day he felt Tigress had finally truly accepted him as a fellow warrior…and as a friend. He knew what it was like to be insulted and called names. Heck, that used to be the story of his life, Which was why he thought he was growing closer to Tigress because of what they had in common, the fact that no one had originally accepted either of them in the beginning. But was that really it? Or was it something else entirely? What was driving him closer to Tigress lately…what had changed? "_What is it._..?"

Po felt he was getting close to an answer when he heard the sound of a pair of flapping wings. He turned to see Zeng landing just a few feet behind him and sighed, "_And here I thought I was so close too_." Po thought to himself as he looked at the goose and asked, "What's up buddy?" Zeng then bowed before saying "Dragon Warrior, Master Tigress has sent me to tell you dinner is ready and that I am to escort you to the kitchen." Po heaved a heavy sigh as he struggled to his feet, yet refused any help from the goose, as he used the peach tree for support. As Po looked at the sun beginning to set in the distance, he realized just how long he had been out there at the tree and not once did Tigress come to bring him inside. "_I really will need to apologize to her. She gave me my space despite me acting like a jerk to her. I can figure this out later, right now I need to ask for Tigress's forgiveness_." As the Panda readied himself, he turned to the goose and said, "Alright, let's go grab some dinner." In that moment, Po's stomach began to grumble suddenly. Po smirked as he added, "Before I start wasting away up here." And together the two made their way down the steps and over to the kitchen, with Po's final thought being "_So close…Darn it_!"

**The Next day, back in Temutai's Crumbling Castle…**

Temutai was pacing back and forth as he continued to grow increasingly frustrated. "Where are those imperils! I send them out to do one simple job, Spy on the Dragon Warrior, and they have the nerve to make me WAIT!?" Suddenly the doors to the throne room flew open as the two warriors approached their leader and dropped to one knee each and bowed. "Lord Temutai, we have returned!" the Warrior off to his right announced while the second one was trying to catch his breath. Temutai then glared at the warriors as he shouted, "Well, don't just kneel there looking like incompetent morons! Tell me what you have learned." As Temutai took his seat in his half destroyed throne.

The first Warrior then cleared his throat and started, "Well sir, as you requested, we immediately set out for the Jade Palace. Upon reaching about halfway, we came across The Warriors of the Jade Palace coming in the direction from the Palace. It appeared that they were on a mission of sorts. Yet we noticed that the Dragon Warrior and one other was not Present with the group of Masters." Temutai then asked as he leaned on the armrest of his throne, "Let me guess, it was that infernal Grand Master Shifu, wasn't it?" his solider then surprised him saying, "No sir. The Red Panda was present with the other Masters." This surprised Temutai a great deal. He was certain that the Panda's Master would be by his side for sure. "So then who was unaccounted for?" Temutai inquired as his second solider started, "That would be Master Tigress Sir. She was not amongst the traveling Masters along with the Dragon Warrior." The first warrior then continued, "We ventured to the Jade Palace just as you commanded, and we found out the current state the Dragon Warrior is in."

Temutai then leaned closer as he asked "And?" the second warrior then said, "Well sir, from what we could tell, the Panda has not only a broken leg, but also a broken arm." The first warrior then added, "His stomach appeared to be heavily bandaged as well and he needs a crutch to move around. As we suspected, the Tiger Master was with him at the Jade Palace. It appears that she has stayed behind to care for the Dragon Warrior while he heals." Temutai got up and walked over to the window, as he began to let all of this information sink in. "So…the Dragon Warrior is indeed incapable of protecting himself?" the first Warrior nodded as he said, "Yes sir." Temutai then asked, "And the Tiger is his only source of protection?" The second warrior then confirmed, "Yes Lord Temutai." Temutai was quiet for a long moment as he pondered on what to do.

Suddenly, without warning, Temutai began to laugh maniacally, "Heh heh…heh heh heh eh….Heh Ha ha ha ha….AH HA HA HA HA HA!" as the Water buffalo turned around shouting "This. Is. PERFECT! Finally, I finally have the chance I've been waiting for so long to eliminate that stupid panda!" as he then began to address the warriors before him, "Assemble my forces at once! We leave for the Jade Palace immediately. Who knows how long we have until those pesky Masters return to the Palace. The Time to strike is now. That Pesky Tiger may be a powerful warrior, but any warrior can fall against the numbers that I possess! We will storm that miserable Palace, deal with the Master of Tiger Style, and with the Dragon Warrior unable to defend himself, we will finally be rid of the Dragon Warrior Once and for ALL!" as Temutai slammed his fist into a nearby statue, forcing it to crumble beneath his immense strength.

Realizing his men had not left yet, Temutai then turned and roared "Well!? What are you idiots doing just kneeling there!? I gave you your orders, now FOLLOW THEM!" Quickly, the two warriors go to their feet and dashed out of the throne room to organize the soldiers. Once he was alone again, Temutai turned and gazed out his window once more, saying to himself, "Soon…soon I will finally be rid of that pesky Dragon Warrior, and no one will be able to stop me from taking over the Valley of Peace…NOBODY! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAA!"

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**Well, Po was close to figuring it out, but that miserable goose just HAD to show up! Tigress is concerned even more now with Po's behavior, Han is having his suspicions but will not say anything until he can confirm them, and Temutai is mobilizing his Warriors...things are finally starting to get interesting. Thanks for reading and remember...  
**

**REVIEW!**


	6. Under Attack!

**WOW! 12 reviews since my last update! That's awesome! and I'm glad to see some new faces taking the time to review my story, your reviews really do mean a lot to me and I appreciate them. I also noticed a significant spike in my views over the past two chapters showing more and more people are reading my story. That's awesome! Anyway, Chapter 6 is done and ready for you to see so without Further Ado, Enjoy The Read...**

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**Chapter 6**

**Under attack**

**The following day, back with Shifu and the other Masters…**

Shifu and the four were now standing at the foot of a long pathway leading up to Superior Superintendent Chang's summer estate. Shifu had just removed the shift stone from his robe and was now handing it to Monkey as he said, "Remember Master Monkey, you are representing not only the Jade Palace, but also the Dragon Warrior himself. You must be convincing. I am allowing you to impersonate Po because he believes you know him best, but mark my words…do anything to tarnish the name of the Dragon Warrior or the Jade Palace and we are gone! Have I made myself clear?" Monkey nodded as he took the red stone from Shifu saying "Don't worry Master, I promised Po I would make a convincing Panda and I won't do anything to bring shame upon the Jade Palace." Crane then quipped, "If anything he'll do a better job at not making a fool of himself then Po would." The others only chuckled as Monkey held onto the stone and concentrated. In seconds his entire being flashed and standing before the Masters Monkey looked like a perfect copy of his best buddy, just without the injuries.

Shifu then said, "Very well, now that Monkey had taken on the identity of the Dragon Warrior, we are now free to venture into Chang's estate." receiving several nods form his students, Shifu lead them up the stone pathway up to the massive estate. In truth, the house looked like it could be larger than the Hall of Heroes. With Blue stone walls topped with a brown shingled roof. At the top of the stairs leading up to the house, sat two statues that resembled the Przewalski's horse**(That's the type of Horse Chang is**)Viper then hissed, "Somebody's a bit full of himself." resulting in Shifu merely giving her a stern glare as he grabbed the pommel and knocked on the great door three times.

There was an unusually long silence for quite some time as Mantis suggested, "Maybe he just didn't hear us?" so Monkey stepped forward and banged on the door with his Panda fist. After a brief moment the door opened to reveal Chang standing in his blue robes and matching blue hat, saying "Goodness, rude much? It takes a while walking down all these halls you know!?" But once he saw the Dragon Warrior greet him saying, "Hi ya Superior Superintendent Chang! How's it going!?" Shifu looked like he was about to face palm himself at Monkey's show of disrespect while Mantis whispered down at Crane from atop his hat, "I was wrong, he's got Po down perfect! Ha ha ha!" But Crane only rolled his eyes while Viper merely smiled.

Shifu was about to say something when Chang threw his arms up shouting "He-Hey! There's that crazy brother of mine! What took you so long Dragon Warrior!? I was beginning to think you weren't going to come to my party." Monkey just exasperated saying in a very Po like fashion, "Pssh, You kidding? I wouldn't miss it for all the dumplings in the world! But I got to say, It would have been nice if Superintendent Woo gave me a little notice so we could have arrived sooner. I mean three days? Come on!" Chang nodded as he crossed his hooves and said "I am sorry Dragon Warrior, I told him to send word to you two weeks ago…apparently I will have to have a serious talk with him at some point today." Shifu the mumbled, "And with any luck, fire him so Hu gets promoted and out of my village already!"

Chang then suddenly noticed Shifu and the other Masters as he said "Ah, I see you brought your friends and the Grandmaster as well. Do enjoy yourselves and help yourselves to anything you see. Come along now Dragoon Warrior, I had an entire table set with food for just us! I'll beat you in that dumpling eating contest if it's the last thing I do!" and with that Chang grabbed Monkey by the arm and started pulling him down the hall, "Wait…what!?" Monkey stammered as Chang began going on about how he had only invited the most exclusive individuals of China and how he just had to introduce Po to each of them, while listing all the different kinds of food he had prepared just because he knew the Dragon Warrior was coming.

As Shifu and the rest of the Masters were left completely forgotten by the door, the watched as Monkey looked back at them with a pleading expression as he mouthed the words "Help me!" But it was Mantis who quipped, "Wow…And I thought Shifu's Man-Crush on Master Yao was creepy." Shifu then whipped his cane out and smacked the insect off of Crane's hat and into a nearby vase. Viper then asked worriedly, "Chang isn't expecting Monkey to eat a lot of food is he?" Shifu then sighed, "No…he is expecting the Dragon Warrior to…and based on Po's performance at the banquet in the Valley a few months back…I can only imagine what Monkey is in for." Mantis then climbed out of the vase slowly as he said, "THIS I got to see!" As he began hopping down the hall followed closely by Shifu and the others while Crane muttered, "Something tells me Po is really gonna be upset when he finds out about this party." The other Masters just nodded as they followed their host down the hall, who could be heard going on about China's very own Lotus Flowers an exotic dance group, performing a number in 20 minutes.

**Meanwhile…Back at the Jade Palace…**

Zeng was busy tending to the Palace grounds sweeping outside the Palace gates when he heard a ruckus coming from the Village. "What in the world?" he wondered aloud as he squinted his eyes to try and see better. In the distance, making their way through the Village streets, Zeng was just able to make out the large form of Lord Temutai and what seemed like countless of his soldiers leading a charge through the Village and heading straight for the Palace steps. "Oh no! Zeng cried as he dropped his broom with a "***Honk***! I must tell the Masters at once! Oh where to look, where to look!?" and with that, Zeng immediately began flying in the direction of the Hall of Heroes, vaguely remembering Master Tigress mention that the two would be spending the afternoon inside it's walls.

**Inside the Hal of Heroes…**

Tigress was sitting In front of the Sacred Reflecting Moon Pool in a perfect lotus position, as she continued to breathe in and out rhythmically attempting to acquire the desired state of meditation. She felt she was close a couple of times, yet each time she did so, flashes of her nightmares would reveal themselves, forcing her to open her eyes once more in annoyance. Such a moment had just occurred as she opened her eyes to stare at her reflection. After releasing a heavy sigh she turned to look at the table Po had been sitting at for the past 3 hours.

He was currently on scroll number 156 of the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu, and was making truly remarkable progress considering the rate at which he started at which was lucky to be 4 scrolls in 7 days. They had brought in a table the Masters sometimes used to study at whenever they wanted to study inside the Hall so as not to be distracted or need to take the scrolls further then they needed too. Po was seated at that exact table with his left leg outstretched and his right ar hanging in his sling while his crutch sat just a few feet away against the table as he continued to read through his scroll.

It had been over a day since Po's last episode in the Training hall, and so far he hadn't exhibited any signs of a relapse of sorts to Tigress's relief. But something was different about the panda. Even though he had apologized to Tigress that same day, she felt like he was almost avoiding her. Granted they were always around each other like now, but it was more like he was unable to make eye contact with her for more than a few minutes without becoming uncomfortable all of the sudden. "_What's been going on with him lately? Did I…did I do something wrong? Perhaps I haven't been giving him enough personal space, but he knows I just don't want him to hurt himself again…No that's not it…But then what is it? And…why won't he tell me_?"

Tigress continued staring at Po for a long while as she was reminded of the last time they really stood in this hall. Sure they had come here to get Po a few scrolls that week but the Last time they were really here was still fresh in her mind.

She had been beaten. She along with her comrades and Master had been bested y the Lin Kuei in an attempt to protect the Dragon Warrior and they had failed him. They had all failed to stop the Lin Kuei. Her comrades and Master were all chained together and she was fighting against two wolves who had her subdued, while Hai Lang had his hands around her throat. She remembered seeing a brief flash of Po sitting beneath the peach tree in her mind whispering "_**Tigress…Don't give up**_." But she couldn't fight anymore, she was weak and exhausted. And then she heard him, this time in her ears "_**TIGRESS!**_!" She didn't know how, but somehow she found the strength to open her eyes and there he was, leaning against Han at the Doors to the Hall of Heroes was none other than Po coming to her rescue…again, twice in the same day. She will never forget the words he then snarled at the wolves nor the way he had said them, "_**LET. HER. GO**_!" Why had Po been so furious? Tigress could understand him being upset, but the way he looked at the wolves that day…it was like something inside him had snapped because Tigress was involved.

"_But why would he get so worked up over me? I know we say we're best friends but…is that how Best friends react when the other is in trouble_?" Tigress then thought back to how Po was only able to hear her voice before when he was unconscious, and now that she thought about it, he had shown up right after she had finished telling the others her story. Han's words from that day rang through her ears once more. "_**Well you see, though it doesn't work a lot of the time I have seen cases where when someone has been placed into a comatose state like Master Po is in right now, that hearing the words of a loved one, helps the person to want to wake up. Sometimes the person can even remember the conversation those people had with them, though, those are rare times indeed**__._" Tigress then thought to herself, "_The word…of a loved one_…" She had pondered this once before but simply wrote it off as ridiculous. But the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but wonder if those words were somehow connected to everything that had happened. "Could that be it? Is it even possible? No, It couldn't be…could it?"

But before she could ponder anything further, Tigress was immediately jarred from her thoughts as she shook her head saying "Huh?" Po was now staring at her as he asked again apparently slightly concerned, "I said, are you alright Tigress? You've been sort of staring into space for a while now…are you okay?" Tigress nodded her head and began to get up from the floor to stretch her legs. "Yes, apologies Po, I was distracted." Po then asked with a raised eyebrow, "By me?" Tigress froze as she began stuttering, "W-What!? Don't be ridiculous! Why would I be distracted by you!?" Po then frowned as he said, Hey, I know I'm not the best looking guy around or anything but that's kinda mean," Tigress realized Po assumed she meant she could never be distracted by his appearance, "That's not what I meant! I didn't mean to-" But then Po started to laugh as he said, "Relax Tigress, I'm just kidding." As he patted the empty seat next to him which she did end up sitting down in.

"So what's up?" Po asked her with his same goofy smile. Whatever had been bothering him the past day, he seemed to be getting over it, which brought a smile to her face and Po noticed. "Nothing…I just got lost in my own thoughts. I've probably just been spending far too much time with you Panda." Tigress teased, resulting in Po whining playfully "Heeey!" as he nudged her with his good hand resulting in a small laugh from her. "_Man I love it when she laughs, it's almost as beautiful as her smile…Aw man! I'm doing it again_!" as Po mentally face palmed himself. Tigress then looked over and noticed Po was finished with his latest scroll. "Would you like me to fetch you the next scroll?" Tigress asked while Po just whined "Can't we take a break already? I've read like four of these things today!" Tigress merely chuckled as she said "Sure…I can just test your knowledge later." Po then added hopefully, "Like after dinner?" while Tigress merely shrugged, as she began to carry the scrolls back to their proper places.

While she did that, Po then said out of nowhere, "I wonder how much fun everyone is having?" Tigress turned and saw Po was now staring at the table with his head low. She had hoped that he was going to forget this was the day the others were supposed to have arrived at Chang's summer home. But leave it to Po to disappoint her. Tigress then said simply, "I'm sure they aren't having any fun at all without you." Po then looked up at her and smiled saying "Yeah, you're probably right. After all, A Party isn't a party without the totally awesome and bodacious Dragon Warrior!" as Po pumped a fist in the air, Tigress was about to suggest an idea when all of the sudden, the Hall doors burst open and Zeng shouted, "Intruders! Intruders are making their way up the Palace steps!"

Tigress then shot up shouting "WHAT!?" as Po reached for his crutch and got up. Tigress then shouted "Who is it? Who is attacking the Palace!?" Zeng then said, "It's the Qidan! Temutai is leading his forces against the Palace himself!" Tigress's eyes shot wide open. Of course it was Temutai, he was just as much a part of Po getting hurt as the Lin Kuei were. And if he learned that the Lin Kuei had failed in taking Po down, of course he would take advantage of Po's weakened and crippled state. Tigress's thoughts were racing, "_How could we have been so stupid!? How did I not see this as a possibility!? Shifu and the Five are away, Po can't fight, and Now Temutai is practically knocking on our doorstep looking for Po!_"

Tigress then asked the goose, "How much time before they breach the gates?" Zeng then stuttered "A-Any minute now!" Tigress cursed under her breath, They had no time to Get Po out of the palace before the Qidan arrived, and right now He was her number 1 priority. Tigress then began thinking rapidly when Po said, "Zeng, get the staff out of the Palace through the back gates quickly. Get everyone out, you and Han included!" Zeng then asked "But Master, what about you?" Tigress then said, "We don't have the time to get Po out of the Palace through the hall doors, he won't make it. the Qidan would be all over us in a matter of minutes." Po then suggested, "What about the tunnels under the Hall? Where would those lead?" Tigress thought about it for a moment and said, "They lead to the Vault of sacred artifacts. Why?" Po then pointed out, "Well then how about we take the tunnels to the Vault and sneak out to the back gates unnoticed? It might take us a while, but at least the Vault is closer to the Gates then here."

Tigress had to admit, she was impressed with Po's quick thinking. "Looks like those scrolls are really paying off." Tigress said as she looked at the goose, "Go and evacuate the palace staff immediately! The Dragon Warrior and I will be following you shortly. Now go!" Zeng nodded and immediately headed for the doors. Tigress then rushed over to the spot where the hidden loose floorboard had been concealed and removed it from place. She looked down and noticed a problem right away, the only way down was through a ladder, and Po couldn't use that." Po walked up to Tigress and said, "I can make it," Tigress raised an eyebrow and asked "Are you sure?" Po nodded his head as he said, "If you hold my crutch and I take my time, I can do it. I know I can!" Tigress thought it over for a minute and nodded, realizing she had little choice.

She quickly took Po's crutch and helped him get situated so that he was halfway through the hole in the ground. Once he had his right leg on the first step and his left hand gripping the handle, Tigress reminded him, "Nice and slow now Panda." Po nodded and while still gripping the handle with his left hand, he let himself drop a few steps until his arm was completely stretched out. Then he positioned his right foot onto the next step, and quickly released his grip on the ladder and re-gripped the next handle quickly a few steps down. He repeated this process several times until Tigress was able to follow him into the hole and carefully place the floor panel above the tunnel entrance, But not before she heard a loud bang on the Hall Doors, as Temutai burst through them with about 30 of his men shouting "Oh Dragon Warrior! Where arrrrrreeeee yooooouuuu!?" immediately Tigress sealed their exit and she began to follow Po down into the Darkness with his crutch in hand. Hopefully, Temutai was just as stupid as she thought he was and wouldn't think of looking for a hidden trap door.

Once Tigress landed, she noticed Po was leaning against a wall nearby. "Stay where you are Po." Tigress whispered, as Po muttered "Okay." Using her cat like vision to see better in the dark, Tigress found a few lanterns, along with a few matches. After lighting one of the lanterns, she quickly handed Po his crutch and whispered, "Let's move, the sooner we get you out of here, the better!" Po didn't argue as the two quietly made their way down the tunnel, trying to remain quiet so that the Qidan warrior above them wouldn't hear them. Po wouldn't say it right then, but he didn't want to just up and run away from Temutai of all people, even if he was injured. "_There's got to be a way for us to take back the Palace…but how!? If I could just use both of my hands…or even just both my legs…Then we might stand a chance_. _There has to be a way…there just has to_." But unable to come up with anything, Po merely followed Tigress down the dark tunnel, trying to think of something that he could do to protect his and Tigress's home.

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**The Qidan have infiltrated the Jade Palace, Po and Tigress have narrowly escaped Temutai for now, but can they get out of the Palace before his warriors find them? and if they do, can Tigress hold them off long enough for Po to get to safety? Who knows? I still have to write it. Thanks for reading and remember...  
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	7. We can't just run away!

**Okay Chapter 7 is up and ready. I apologize for the delay, but I am in the process of moving right now and I have been very busy with that. That being said, I will still try to find time to bring the next chapter to you guys as fast as I can. Anyway, Enjoy The Read.**

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**Chapter 7**

**We can't just run away!**

Temutai was looking around the massive Hall furiously. He was certain that the two Masters would be in the Hall of Heroes…or whatever it was those pesky Kung Fu big shots called this place. After all, this building was indeed the most heavily fortified building on the mountain, if the Dragon Warrior was incapable of protecting himself, surely they would keep him in the most fortified and easy to defend location. But as he looked around, he noticed that he and his warriors were completely alone.

Turning to his warriors Temutai shouted, "Search every inch of this cursed palace! I want that Panda found IMMEDIATELY!" The warriors quickly began to leave the Hall, while a few stayed behind with their leader to look around the Hall. While his Warriors were checking the few rooms that the building actually had, Temutai stood before the reflecting pool gazing at his reflection as he muttered, "Now…where are you hiding Panda?" and with that, he walked off towards Shifu's chambers to help in the search.

**Meanwhile, with Po and Tigress… **

Tigress continued to lead Po down the dark tunnel, guided by the simple glow of her lantern, being careful to stay ahead of the panda so that they could both see, but also close enough so that she could help him in case he tripped due to the lack of light. Tigress looked back over her shoulder to make sure Po was still behind her which he was, but his expression was very grim. "_He's probably beating himself up for not being able to do anything to stop Temutai…well, there's nothing we can do about it. We just need to keep going. Once I get Po to safety I can send word to Master Shifu, and when the Five return, then we can re-take the palace. But first, I have to get Po out of here. If Temutai finds him as he is now…_" But Tigress couldn't bring herself to finish the thought as she quickly shook her head and returned her attention to the path before her.

Soon they came to a set of stairs leading up to the ceiling, which meant Po could climb up the stairs himself, it just took him some time is all. Once Tigress and Po reached the top of the staircase, Tigress pressed against the ceiling and slowly pushed up, revealing that it wasn't a ceiling at all, but rather a hidden floor door. After looking around and determining the room they were beneath was currently unoccupied, Tigress threw open the door and climbed up into the room. She then helped Po the rest of the way and made sure he was fine leaning up against one of the walls before closing the door they had just climbed up through and placing a rug overtop of it.

Po was looking around the room and noticed they were now in a room just outside the vault of artifacts. As he glanced around, his eyes landed on the replica of the Mirror of Yin and Yang and his eyes quickly went to search for a new subject to focus on. He really didn't like that mirror, or rather what was on the other side of the actual one should he look into it. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the first time he looked into that mirror. Soon though, his eyes landed on three familiar spheres sitting in a case off to the right. As Po hobbled closer, he realized that they were the Spirit Orbs of Master Ding. "When did Shifu move these here?" Po asked as Tigress looked over at the orbs. "He moved them here after our little…incident… with them in the past." Tigress answered as Po looked at her and asked as his face took on an un-amused expression, "He was afraid I was going to play with the spinny ball thingies…wasn't he?" Tigress refused to answer as she began peering around the door leading outside.

She saw that there were a few Qidan warriors walking around the grounds searching for them. If she moved Po now, then they would surely be spotted, so she continued to watch and wait. Meanwhile, the more Po stared at the Orbs, the more he began to entertain an ever growing idea in his head. "Maybe…maybe I could use these to stop the Qidan? I have been studying really hard lately…maybe my mental…acuity…is up to it!" Po smiled at himself as he was proud he could even remember the word acuity, let alone use it. As Po set his crutch to the side, he balanced on his right leg and opened the display case. The orbs were just sitting there waiting for someone to use them. Po closed his eyes and tried to make the orbs fly. "_Focus…concentrate…concentrate…_" Po thought to himself as he tried focusing on making the orbs move. Slowly all three orbs began to flicker with a bluish light as the orbs slowly and shakingly began to float out of the case. But it was hardly a smooth attempt. Po couldn't keep the orbs steady as they bobbed up and down repeatedly and flickered profusely. Po was now clenching his teeth as a bead of sweat began to fall from his brow, "Con…centrate!" he muttered, thus earning Tigress's attention as she gasped at what she saw. She saw Po trying to manipulate the spirit Orbs of Master Ding and he was actually succeeding…sort of. It showed just how far Po had come with his studies lately, but the panda was still struggling.

The orbs suddenly flickered out completely, losing their glow and fell to the ground with a loud ***CLANG*** "PO!" Tigress hissed resulting in the panda's face to become one of slight fear as he realized the amount of noise he had just caused. "What was that!?" One of the Qidan warriors said, as he and his partner rushed for the vault. Tigress immediately signaled for Po to hide while she hid behind the door. Once the warriors were inside they began looking around the artifacts. Tigress saw that Po was hiding behind the case for the orbs and that one of the warriors was getting closer. Her eyes darting around franticly, they eventually landed on the orbs.

Realizing that she had little choice if she wished to have Po remain undiscovered, Tigress reached out with her paw and focused. The Orbs began to shine brightly this time and all three shot up in the air beginning to chase each other in a circle. "What's that!?" one of the Qidan asked. But before his partner could reply, Tigress shot one of the orbs at the nearest Qidan's face, resulting in the warrior to fall unconscious instantly. When the second warrior saw the orbs floating in mid-air, he pointed his spear at them threateningly but was clearly terrified. As the orb's speed increased, Tigress thrust her paw forward and all three orbs separated and smashed into the Warrior's head at full force, each orb coming from a different direction. Once the Warriors were down, Tigress found some rope and tied the warriors together, while gagging them in as well. Once they were locked into an empty chest, Tigress summoned the spirit orbs and sent them back into the storage case. "You can come out now Po," Tigress announced slightly annoyed.

Po slowly made his way out from behind the case and looked absolutely miserable. "I'm sorry Tigress…I thought that maybe I might be able to control them now, and if I was, then maybe I could use them and we could have a chance at taking back the palace…but looks like it was just another one of my stupid ideas." As Po said this he hobbled over to a bench and sat down in frustration. Tigress knew that Po was frustrated, but they needed to move. "We can talk about it later, right now we need to get you out of here." as Tigress began to pull Po to his feet, Po then snapped at her saying, "But you can't seriously want to just run away!? Temutai will destroy the entire Palace just to try and find me!" Tigress then started, "I know, but-" But Po cut her off, his voice rising slightly, "Then we have to stop him before he destroys our home! I may be able to go back to my Dad's but you guys don't have anywhere else to go!"

Tigress, although touched that Po was thinking of her and their friends, was nonetheless losing her patience with him. "Po listen to me-" But Po then shouted, "Tigress, if Temutai destroys the palace, everything will be gone! The training hall, the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu, the Barracks, even this room!" by now Tigress's fist was clenched, "_Why can't he just see_?" Tigress asked herself while Po shouted in her face, "Why aren't you more worried about your home!? You've lived here practically your whole life! Don't you care anymore!?" but then Tigress roared silencing the panda, "OF COURSE I DO! THIS IS THE ONLY TRUE HOME I HAVE EVER KNOWN PANDA! BUT ALL OF _**THIS**_**-" **as she gestured to the Jade Palace in general, "**-** MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO ME. DO YOU HEAR ME!? NOTHING! IF YOU JUST END UP GETTTING YOURSELF **KILLED**!"

Po was stunned as Tigress continued to breathe hard and fast. She glared at the panda for a brief moment before her eyes softened and she began to look away saying "Forgive me…I shouldn't have-" but Po cut her off saying, "-No…it's my fault…I was wrong. I'm…I'm sorry." Tigress looked up to see Po giving her a sincere look in his eyes now as she nodded her head and walked forward saying, "Po, there may have been a time when I would have been willing to risk everything for the sake of my home, but that was before I found something new to…to care for a great deal." Po looked up at her with a questioning look as she said simply, "YOU, Panda! My best friend is far more important to me then just a few walls or some scrolls…those can be rebuilt and re-written…but if I lose you, I can't get you back…do you understand what I'm saying?"

Po sighed as he nodded his head in understanding. "I just wish I was good enough at using those stupid orbs like you are…then we could take Temutai down together!" Tigress nodded and said, "True…we would stand a better chance if you could at least use a weapon of some sort. It's a shame we can't just switch places." Po's head snapped up at the mention of trading places with Tigress, "Wait…say that again." Tigress raised an eyebrow but repeated, "I said it's a shame we can't just trade places…Why?" Po's face slowly turned into a joyous smile, "TIGRESS! You're a genius!" Tigress remained confused as Po explained, "Think about it! If you and I were to trade places, I could do Kung Fu, and you could use your awesome Mental prowess to fight off the Qidan! It's a totally awesome plan! All we need is…" but immediately Po's face fell as his plan hit a snag.

Tigress then asked "All we need is what Po?" Po's face fell even more as he said, "Forget it…it won't work." Tigress stood up and walked over asking "What won't work Panda?" Po then whispered, "Shifu destroyed it…it won't work." Tigress raised her voice a bit in annoyance as she asked, "Shifu destroyed WHAT Po!?" Po then sighed while he looked her in the eye and said, "**The Zhou Deng Soul Gem**."

Tigress's eyes snapped wide open as she processed what Po had said. That gem would allow them to switch bodies with whoever they wanted to. Shifu's ex-girlfriend, a fox thief named Mei Ling, had used it to trade places with Shifu in order to get the Five and the Dragon Warrior to pull off a job for her. But Shifu had managed to escape from Mei Ling's clutches and convince his students of her treachery. Long story short, Shifu got back into his own body, but he had destroyed the Soul Gem so that Mei Ling couldn't use its power ever again…or so he had lead all of them to believe.

Tigress however knew the truth, because Shifu had told her the truth that night. The gem he had actually smashed wasn't the real Soul Gem…but a fake replica. He destroyed it to make Mei Ling think its power was forever gone. The only reason Tigress knew it was a fake was because Shifu rarely kept secrets from her, especially when it came to the secret relics of the Jade Palace. After all, if something were to happen to Shifu, then someone had to know all of the Palace's secrets. Tigress then made a decision as she released a heavy sigh, "Not…exactly." Po looked at her confused as he asked "What do you mean? I saw Master Shifu destroy the stone. You did too!" Tigress then walked over to a vault door and stopped in front of it. She then took out a key she kept around her neck and began to unclasp a series of locks. Po then warned her "Tigress!? What are you doing? If Master Shifu finds out you-" But Tigress cut him off, "Shifu was the one who gave me this key Po…now be quiet." And so Po shut up.

Once Tigress finished undoing the last lock, she opened the heavy iron door and stepped inside motioning for Po to remain outside. She didn't need Po either destroying the artifacts inside, or unleashing something dangerous…again. A minute later, Tigress returned with something in her paw and Po gasped in surprise. Sitting in her paw was a ruby cut gemstone set into a rectangular golden frame. It was the Soul Gem! Po looked at Tigress and asked, "But…Shifu…he…didn't he?" Tigress then revealed, "No, he never destroyed the original stone…just a replica. THIS is the true Soul Gem. "

Po stared at the stone for a moment before looking at Tigress and asking, "Why are you showing this to me? I thought you wanted to get me out of here." Tigress stared at the Panda for a long moment before saying, "Because even though I want nothing more than too carry you out of here safely…I know you wouldn't just let me do that. And…perhaps a part of me really wants me to stay and defend my home too." At this Tigress gave Po a small smile which he returned. But Tigress then became serious as she said sternly, "But listen to me Po…If I say we need to get out of here, you have to swear to me that you will do EXACTLY what I say…otherwise we leave right now." Po nodded as he said, "Okay." As he reached for the stone but Tigress closed her hand around it and pulled her hand back saying, "No…I need to hear you say it…I need to hear you promise me Po."

Po did a lot of things, but one thing he was well known for not doing was breaking a promise. Po stared at Tigress for a long time, and for a moment Tigress felt like he wasn't going to agree to it. But then he took a deep breath and said, "Alright…I Promise Tigress, if you tell me to leave…then I will leave…Honest." Tigress nodded and then brought the stone back out as she wondered aloud, "Now…how do we make this thing work?" At this point Po's cheeks began to redden as he began stuttering, "W-well…I remember S-Shifu had to…Kiss Mei Ling…for the gem to work. Tigress's eyes were like saucers as she stared at Po in pure disbelief while he looked away embarrassed slightly. "You're…you're serious…aren't you?" Tigress asked him while Po only nodded his head, afraid to say anything.

The awkwardness in the room was almost suffocating, as the two just stood there in total silence. Tigress was thinking to herself, "_Did he seriously…just say that_?" While Po was waiting for Tigress to break his other leg. He was about to look up when he heard her whisper. "Alright then…" Po looked up and his face was covered in pure shock. Was Tigress really willing to go through with this? Tigress noticed his expression and quickly said, "Well, you need to be able to do Kung Fu if we're going to stand a chance…if this is the only way…then we don't have any other options." Po was simply dumbfounded as he watched Tigress begin to walk forward.

She then took Po's crutch and set it to the side as she then placed the stone in his now free paw and asked, "Are you…can you do this?" Po looked up with a worried expression and said, " I guess…It's just…I've never…kissed anyone before. " That was partly true anyway. He did recall being kissed by Superintendent Woo's obsessive daughter Ming once before…but he never returned the kiss, and to be honest he was pretty sure that didn't count as a first kiss. Tigress looked down before admitting, "I…never have either…so I guess we're both in unfamiliar territory." Po and Tigress both shared an awkward smile, and then Tigress began to close the distance. But Po stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder saying. "Tigress…before we do this…I need YOU to promise me something." Tigress looked Po in the eye and nodded as he finished, "Promise me…that no matter what happens…that after this…we can still be friends…I don't want this to come between us." Tigress smiled as she appreciated the Panda's concern for their friendship as she nodded her head saying, "I promise…No matter what happens…we will still be Best friends panda." Po smiled as he said "Good…thanks Tigress."

Tigress nodded and the two stared into each other's eyes once more. Eyes of amber staring into eyes of Jade. Tigress began inching her way forward as Po watched her close her eyes and her lips began to part. His heart was racing, he wa about to kiss Tigress, his best friend. He prayed that this wouldn't ruin their friendship yet at the same time, a part of Po WANTED to kiss her…it was a strange feeling, and one he currently did not have time to ponder over, as Po closed the rest of the distance between them, and locked his lips with her.

Po could feel Tigress stifle a gasp when his lips met hers, but before either of them could process what was happening, the Soul Gem began to shine a bright pinkish glow, and Po and Tigress were wrapped within its magic. Both Po and Tigress's eyes began to glow, Po's a bright Jade color while Tigress's shined a powerful orange, as their souls were extracted from their respective bodies; Po's being a tinted Jade color, while Tigress's was darker orange. The two forms swirled around each other briefly above the pair's heads before entering their new destinations. When the Process was compete, Po opened his eyes and saw that a Panda that looked an awful lot like he did was staring back at him with a stunned expression on his face. Po was about to ask what was going on when his eyes fell to his paws…his black and orange paws.

"It worked!" Po exclaimed and then clamped his mouth shut when he heard Tigress's voice exit his mouth. Carefully removing his hand from his mouth, Po then asked as he looked at the Panda before him, "Tigress? are you okay?" To be completely honest, Tigress was far from it. She had completely forgotten the kiss they shared and was utterly mortified at herself at the moment, or rather Po's self. She felt like she was standing there wearing a 200 pound weighted training suit. When she so much as adjusted her right arm in its sling she was met with a sting of pain, and she found all too quickly that putting any weight on her left leg was a bad idea too. But the worst of it all was the ever increasing sense of hunger as she glared at Po and asked, "By the Gods Po, when was the last time you ate?" Po shrugged saying "Maybe 4 hours ago. Why?" Tigress's eyes shot open as she thought, "_He's kidding! He gets this hungry just after 4 hours_!?"

Po then began looking around tigress's body as he began to walk around trying to get a feel for his new set of legs. "I can walk normal again! Awesome!" and with that, Po leaped into the air and scared himself as he flew about 12 feet into the air, "WHAAA!?" Po screamed as he landed with a low thud on his backside. Immediately his eyes snapped open as he screamed "YEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWW!" as Po got up and gripped Tigress's tail. That was going to take some getting used to. "How do you fall down with this thing?" Po asked as he dropped her tail, Tigress then answered, "I keep it close to me in battle. My question to YOU is how can you even manage to move with all this…fur!?" Po's face clearly showed that he knew exactly what she was referring to as he said, "You think that's bad? We should have tried this when I first got here." Tigress then snapped, "I think I'd rather not think about it."

Po smiled as he began practicing his Panda style. It felt really good to be able to move both his arms and legs again, even if they weren't really his. As he landed from doing a back flip he almost fell onto his rear once more when his balance was upset. Realizing it was because of the tail he now had, Po stated, "Okay. That's going to take some getting used to. Looking over at Tigress, Po asked "Okay, so now I can do Kung Fu, what about you? Can you use the Spirit Orbs? As Po picked up the crutch and handed it to Tigress who took it reluctantly. Once Tigress was leaning on the crutch, she looked over at the Orbs and began to concentrate. Soon, the orbs began to glow a solid bluish light and began flying over towards her. When they neared, they began spinning around her at an incredible rate. Tigress sent the Orbs flying in different directions around the room, all at once. When the Orbs returned, all three were floating next to her as she smirked while saying, "I think I'll be just fine."

Po nodded and said, "Right, are you ready for this?" he asked Tigress who grunted as she hobbled over to the door and said, "As ready as I'm gonna be. Remember, Temutai's men are going to be after the Dragon Warrior, so I'm counting on you to keep as many of the Qidan off me as possible. Understand?" Po nodded and said, as he looked her square in the eye, saying in a voice filled with so much determination, "I Promise Tigress…I won't let anyone near you." and then he walked past her to check and see if anyone was outside. When he passed her, a shiver ran down her spine as she asked herself, "_What is this feeling just now? I feel so…safe…_" as Tigress turned around and began to follow Po with the spirit orbs flying closely behind her. As she hobbled, she couldn't help but whisper to herself, "By the Gods…how does he move around at all like this!?" But thanks to Tigress's ears, Po was able to hear her, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

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**Well Tigress always wanted to be the Dragon Warrior...now she is! heh heh. No but seriously, Will the two be able to stand up to Temuta and his Warriors? Or will they fail? I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading and remember... **

**REVIEW!**


	8. Choice

**Hey guys! Wow, 25 reviews since my last Chapter!? That's INSANE! I find it hard to believe that so many people are loving this story! It feels just so surreal to me. Anyway, I know it's been a few days since the Last Chapter and I apologize for that, but as I said before, I was in the process of moving but am now finally all settled in. This next Part is going to be broken up into two chapters and I am hoping to have the second one finished by the end of the weekend. Hope you guys Enjoy The Read!**

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**Chapter 8**

**Choice**

Po and Tigress were slowly making their way over to the Hall of Heroes, being extra careful to duck out of sight whenever a passing Qidan warrior happened to get too close. Tigress was now hiding behind an opened door to the Training hall trying to make herself smaller, which was next to impossible, given the fact that she was now inhabiting the body of a Giant Panda for crying out loud. That and she had three glowing Spirit Orbs floating next to her head which were bound to draw some much unwanted attention.

A lone Warrior was walking in front of the Hall standing in the Sparring arena when he noticed the slight glow of the Orbs. "Huh?" the Warrior asked as he slowly made his way over to Tigress's hiding spot, his spear armed and at the ready. "Who's there!?" the Warrior asked as Tigress swallowed a huge lump in her throat. This was it. She was going to have to take this guy down with the Spirit Orbs. "_Where the heck is Po!_?" Tigress wondered as she heard the warrior reach the top of the steps. "I said, who's there!? Show yourself!" Tigress sighed and walked out from around the door, using her crutch to steady herself. When she finally emerged, the Warrior was shocked to see the Dragon Warrior glaring at him. The Warrior then tried to summon more of his allies, "H-Hey! I found-Omph!?" Suddenly a black and orange blur had launched itself off of the roof of the Training hall and hurled itself at the Qidan lackey. Striking with a powerful drop kick and following up with a solid punch to the face, resulting in the sound of several bone fractures reaching the Tiger's ears, the Warrior was out instantly.

Po straightened himself up as he walked over to the Warrior and dragged him inside the training hall, closing the great doors behind him. Po then turned to look at Tigress and spoke using Tigress's own voice, "I told you Tigress, I won't let anyone near you." Tigress smiled as she nodded at Po. To be honest, she knew she wasn't in any real danger. Between Po watching her back as they made their way over to the Hall of Heroes, and Tigress manipulating the Spirit Orbs, taking out these small fry one by one was all too easy. But they did it not only because it helped increase their chances in stopping Temutai by eliminating as many of his men as they could, but it also gave Po the opportunity to get used to fighting with Tigress's body.

Po then asked as he looked around to make sure no one heard the Qidan Warrior he had just disposed of, "I still can't get the hang of using all this strength! How do you control it so easily?" Tigress replied, "It took me months to learn how to control my strength to the point in which I no longer break peoples bones unless I want to. It isn't something that one can simply learn and become accustomed to overnight, but you are managing quite well it seems." Po nodded his head as he and Tigress once again made their way towards the Hall of Heroes.

While they walked, Tigress was starting to feel some sharp pains around her stomach. "I need to stop, something's not right." As Po whirled around and saw Tigress hunched over, he quickly ran over to her and helped her duck behind some bushes, "Gah! There's something wrong with your stomach Po! Every time I so much as try to bend it hurts." Po looked away briefly before he said, "Yeah, that happens if I put too much stress on those wounds. I should have warned you about that." Tigress then looked up and asked, "Has it always hurt like this? Have you been in this kind of pain all this time?" Again, Po still looked away as he said, "I learned to just deal with it really quickly, I didn't want to be a bigger burden then I already am, so I pushed through the pain. It's actually gotten a lot easier to take to be honest."

Tigress frowned as she scolded Po saying, "You should have said something Po! Han might have been able to do something for you sooner." Po nodded his head in agreement and just sat there. After a moment Tigress was good to go, and the pair began making their way over to the stairs leading into the Hall. When they reached the top, Po noticed he wasn't panting heavily at all! Taking these steps was a regular cakewalk. Tigress on the other hand was panting slightly as she reached the top. "That's it! When this is all over, you are SO going on a diet! This is ridiculous!" But Po could only snicker as he looked behind his shoulder and said, "I wasn't lying when I said I hated stairs. There was a reason for it." Tigress however did not look amused one bit, as she glared and Po actually thought, "_Hey, I guess I can look pretty intimidating if I tried too… go figure_."

Once they were both outside the Hall of Heroes, Po looked over to Tigress and asked, "Are you ready for this?" Tigress looked behind her to the floating Spirit Orbs and focused. The Orbs began to spin a bit faster. After a moment she looked back at Po and said, "I'm ready." Po nodded and began to open the doors.

Temutai was just exiting Shifu's chambers and he was not happy at all one bit. The Dragon Warrior was nowhere to be found in this cursed Hall, and his Warriors he had dispatched to search the rest of the Palace grounds had yet to return. "Where are those lousy good for nothing idiots!? If we do not find the Panda soon, then he will surely escape!" Temutai then called out, "Warriors, ASSEMBLE!" immediately, the remaining dozen or so Qidan Warriors rushed over to their leader and awaited their new orders. Temutai then shouted, "The Panda is nowhere to be seen, I want all of you to search every inch of this Palace and bring him to me!" the warriors then looked at each other while one asked, "But sir, what if the Dragon Warrior attacks us? Or that Tiger? Surely the Dragon Warrior wouldn't be left unprotected?" Temutai then countered, "The Dragon Warrior is weakened and cannot protect himself! Now is the perfect time to strike, as for the Tiger-" But Temutai was cut off, as the doors to the hall of Heroes were flown open, and Po shouted while using Tigress's voice, "Sorry to keep you fellas waiting, but we had a serious pest control problem in the palace grounds that we just had to take care of!" When he finished, Po had just entered his Panda style fighting stance while Tigress had just wobbled up beside him, the Spirit Orbs floating just off to her right."

Nobody said a word, as the Qidan clan just stared at the Tiger in a slight state of shock. Po then asked as he raised his eyebrow in slight confusion, "What!?" Temutai was the first to snap out if it as he said, "Oh, uh, yeah, sorry…It's just…I think that's the most words I have ever heard come out of your mouth Tiger. I mean, usually it's the Dragon Warrior who comes bursting in shouting all that ridiculous nonsense." Po then muttered, "Ouch…even the bad guys are giving me grief about my mouth." Tigress couldn't help but smirk briefly, but she quickly turned to glare at Temutai and snarled, "You lowlifes get one chance to high tail it out of here before we take you down!" Temutai then turned to look at the Panda, as if just noticing the Dragon Warrior for the first time and said, "HA! And just what is it you think you can do Dragon Warrior!? You cannot do Kung Fu, and your little girlfriend cannot take down all of my warriors alone!"

Po then folded Tigress's arms and spat rather annoyed, "I'm a boy, thank you!" Temutai then looked at the Tiger and asked "Really? To be honest, that would explain why the Tiger always dresses like a dude. I always did kind of wonder about that." Tigress then turned and snapped at Po saying "No you are not!" while looking at Temutai and shouting, "And there is nothing wrong with the way I dress!" Now Temutai was really confused, "Okay…someone tell me what's going on here, because I cannot follow any of this." Po then shouted "How about we skip the chit-chat and just get to the part where we kick your butts!?" as Po stepped in front of Tigress and entered his fighting stance. Temutai then declared, "You can try Tiger. Warriors ATTACK!" and instantly all 12 of the Warriors began rushing for the two Masters. Po then shouted, "Time for some Awesomeness!" as he charged the warriors, while Tigress could only shake her head as she concentrated on maintaining her focus on the Spirit Orbs.

Po and the Warriors had met about halfway down the hall, and Po immediately launched himself high into the air into a triple front flip. As he came hurling towards the mass of Warriors, he began stretching out his right leg and delivered a powerful spin kick to the nearest enemy, sending him into another lackey and the two landed smack up against a Jade Pillar, sliding to the ground unconscious. As Po got his bearings, he noticed that he was immediately surrounded as he entered his fighting stance and shouted, "Come on fellas, I've been itching for some action all week!" and immediately about 7 of the warriors charged him, as Po prepared for their assault.

As Po was dealing with 7 of the Warriors, 3 of them had managed to get past him and started making their way towards Tigress, thinking they were going to be able to vanquish the Dragon Warrior themselves. Oh, the simpleminded fools. Tigress immediately released Po's crutch letting it fall to the ground beside her as she stretched Po's left arm out and focused. The three Spirit Orbs flew out from behind her and charged the three approaching Warriors, stopping them dead in their tracks. As the Orbs flew around each of the Warriors, the Qidan tried their best to smack the Orbs away with their spears, but Tigress was too quick for them. With several flicks of the wrist, Tigress swerved each Orb in and out of the Warriors reach and eventually ended up striking each Warrior in the face, rendering them unconscious. Tigress noticed Po had managed to fall five of his opponents by now and was facing of against the last two. Despite never fighting under these circumstances before, they weren't doing half bad. Tigress looked over to Temutai and ordered, "Give up Temutai! You can't defeat the Warriors of the Jade Palace!"

Temutai growled as he looked over and saw the Tiger had just finished off the last of his men. But suddenly an evil grin appeared across his face as he asked the Panda, "I wouldn't be so sure of that Panda! SECRET SIGNAL!" Immediately another 10 Warriors began to rush inside coming from the Hall's entrance. Tigress was about to be overwhelmed quickly, and the Spirit Orbs were halfway across the room! Po saw the Warriors nearing Tigress, and immediately dropped down to all fours like he's seen her do countless times, as he sprinted his way over to his Friend. "_Wow, running on all fours IS really fast! Why the heck do I only run on two_!?" as Po neared her though, he leaped into the air over her head and shouted, "TIGRESS, close your eyes!" Tigress immediately did so while shielding the Panda's face with her free arm, and once Po landed in front of her, he got up and did a quick motion with his paws as he brought them together shouting, while he closed his own eyes as well, "**GOLDEN LOTUS CLAP**!"

Instantly a golden mist erupted from Po's paws and expanded outward, causing all who happened to have their eyes open at the time to go blind instantly, not to mention, breaking all of the Qidan's spears in two, and knocking them back on to their rear ends. Po then turned around and saw Tigress bringing her arm down as she looked at him with a bit of wonder. Po then said as he looked her in the eye once more, ,"I told you Tigress, I won't let any of these lowlifes get near you…and I meant it." Tigress couldn't help but smile as she nodded her head towards Po, and watched him rush towards the Blinded Qidan Warriors.

Unfortunately, Temutai overheard the Tiger's warning and had also closed his eyes. "_Why on earth would she be talking to herself in the third person like that_?" Temutai wondered. After feeling a powerful gust of wind blow past him, Temutai opened his eyes, and saw the Tiger, dealing with his warriors, one at a time. It was strange, his warriors, could clearly see the Tiger advancing on them, yet they just watched the Tiger's fist fly towards their faces, or allow themselves to get kicked in the gut. "What is this!? Are you imbeciles blind or something!?" when one of the Warriors shouted, "I CAN'T SEE!" "What Happened!?", "What was that light!?", "Who turned off the sun!?" thus answering Temutai's question.

Temutai noticed one of his Warriors stumbling his way up from behind the Tiger and he thought he was finally going to be rid of that pesky Master, when the Panda shouted, "Po! Behind you!" Immediately, the Tiger jumped and delivered a roundhouse kick sending the poor sap back up against the wall. "_Wait just a minute…the Panda just called the Tiger Po…but I thought that's what the Dragon Warrior was called…Now that I think about it, the Tiger also called the Panda by the Tiger's name. It's almost as if the two have switched places. Something's different about that Tiger too. She's fighting like the Panda usually does, and the Panda is able to manipulate those glowing ball things. Not exactly something I can see the Panda normally doing so easily_. _He isn't exactly the sharpest blade around usually, so how.._." As Temutai continued to ponder this, a theory was slowly coming together in his head, "_No…it's not possible…is it_?" Temutai knew the Palace housed many secrets and forbidden artifacts, heck he had even stolen some before to use for his own personal gain. But was it possible? Was there an artifact that could possess such a power? "_Only one way to find out I suppose_." And so Temutai began to approach the Panda from behind. Being careful to stay out of the Panda's line of sight.

Tigress was sending the Orbs out in three different directions, trying to help Po subdue the remaining Qidan Warriors as best she could, but even for her, manipulating three Spirit Orbs at a distance like this was proving to be quite a challenge. Suddenly there was a tall shadow looming over Tigress. Startled because Po's ears never allowed her to sense the enemies approach, she tried to turn around but was met with a powerful fist to the Panda's face, resulting in Tigress releasing a short cry of pain, "GYAH!?" as she was knocked down to the floor, losing her control of the Spirit Orbs in the process, as the glowing orbs intantly lost their bluish glow and clattered to the ground, rolling in different directions. Instantly, her right arm and left leg were screaming in pain, as it took every ounce of her self-control not to scream yet again. Her vision now blurred slightly, she was just able to make out the figure she knew to be Temutai approaching her and hoisting her up by the left arm and locking it in a hold behind her back, while he now held a dagger to the panda's throat. "I got you now…Master TIGRESS!"

Tigress gasped, Temutai had figured it out! Not that they were exactly careful with keeping the fact her and Po had traded places a secret or anything, but the revelation was still frightening all the same. Temutai sneered in victory, her reaction had just confirmed his suspicions, "Now…what should I do? If I kill you, I do destroy the body of the Dragon Warrior, but he still lives on and remains a constant bother…but If I kill the Tiger's body with the Dragon Warrior inside, I manage to be rid of the Dragon Warrior…and you are forced to remain in his body, reminded every day that he is gone forever, while you walk around wearing his face!…so many choices." And just like that, Temutai applied more pressure to the Panda's arm, resulting in Tigress screaming in pain, and earning Po's attention.

Po had just finished throwing the final Qidan Warrior over his shoulder and onto the front of another one, when he heard a pain filled scream. He turned to see Temutai holding Tigress in an arm lock, as the Giant Water Buffalo grinned at the Tiger in Victory. "_Oh no! He's got Tigress! I have to save her before he hurts her…or me…or us…GAH this is confusing_!" Po then shouted as he turned to face the two, "Hey! Let the Panda go!" as he began racing for Tigress, when Temutai applied more pressure, causing Tigress to cry out in more pain. "I wouldn't do that…Dragon Warrior!" Po stopped dead in his tracks as he glared savagely at Temutai. He had figured out the two had switched places and now was holding Tigress hostage against Po.

Po then asked as he glared at Temutai, "So you know…So what happens now?" Temutai then sneered, "I haven't decided yet…But I think I know just how we can fix that." As he tossed the dagger to the Tiger's feet and clasped the Panda's neck with his now free hand so that the Panda could not escape. Temutai then ordered at Po, "Pick it up! NOW" Confused as to why Temutai would want Po to pick up the dagger, Po slowly knelt down and grabbed the Dagger, his eyes never leaving Tigress. Once he had the blade in his hand, Temutai then explained, "I'm going to let YOU Decide what happens her Dragon Warrior…either run that blade through the Tiger's heart…or the PANDA'S!"

Both Po and Tigress gasped as they looked from each other, to the blade, and then back to each other. Po's eyes narrowed as he snarled at Temutai, "NEVER! Now let Tigress go before I-" But then Po was silenced as Tigress screamed yet again, as Temutai, applied even more pressure to the hold on the Panda's arm. "Just a little bit higher and the Panda will have TWO broken arms to worry about!" Tigress's screams were tearing at Po's heart as he begged Temutai, "Okay, Okay! Stop! Stop hurting her, please!" satisfied that he now had the Dragon Warrior's complete attention, Temutai released the pressure on the Panda's arm as he listened to them take sever deep breaths. Tigress hadn't felt such pain in a LONG time. she had spent years training in the iron wood tree forest, training herself not to feel any pain at all. But in Po's body, she no longer had that advantage.

Po was at a complete loss. As he looked into his own eyes, he saw Tigress staring back at him, her face filled with so much pain…and not all of it just because of the physical pain. She had failed to protect him, and was now being used to trap the Dragon Warrior once again. Po then glared at Temutai as the Water Buffalo asked the Dragon Warrior, "So…Who's it going to be!? The Panda?" as he tightened his grip around the Panda's throat causing Tigress to gasp once more, "Or the Panda?" Po could only snarl as he listened to the Water Buffalo laugh uncontrollably, "Heh heh….heh heh heh….heh heh, Ha ha ha ha…..AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

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**And that is Chapter 8. I'm hoping to have Chapter 9 up by the end of Sunday so please be patient with me and we will see the next scene soon. Thanks for reading and remember...**

**REVIEW!**


	9. At what cost?

**Chapter 9 is all done and ready to go. I know many of you were hoping I could post this sooner but I just couldn't. Didn't have the time to write it. But hey, at least I didn't wait five days. Lots of good feedback from the latest chapters, I hope this one does not disappoint. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you Enjoy The Read.**

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**Chapter 9**

**At what cost?**

Po could only stand there glaring at the Leader of the Qidan. Temutai had him trapped yet again and now Po had a choice to make. Either he runs the dagger through himself and traps Tigress forever in his own body, or he would be forced to kill his best friend in the whole world…and he just couldn't bring himself to think of that as even a real option. As Po looked over at Tigress he saw that her eyes were still filled with pain…but now, none of it was physical pain. No, if Po had to guess, she was torturing herself for allowing herself to be captured by the enemy AGAIN and putting him in danger.

Po knew that if he asked her, she would beg him to take her life and spare his own. He also knew that if he took his own life to save hers and that she would probably never forgive him for it. But the more time Po spent thinking it over, the more he was beginning to realize that there really was no choice here at all, and Temutai probably knew it too. He was probably going to end up taking his own life, in the hopes that Temutai would spare Tigress's own.

As Po looked down at the Dagger, he saw the reflection of Tigress's face in the blade looking back at him, her face solemn and grim. As he looked back up from the blade and over at Tigress, he saw a tear threatening to escape his own eye. "_Even at a time like this…she's still trying to stay strong…knowing Tigress she's probably trying to think of a way for us both to get out of this alive…But I just don't think that's gonna happen this time_." Just then Temutai then shouted, "Well!? I am waiting Dragon Warrior! What's it gonna be? You!? Or your little girlfriend here!?" Po actually growled at Temutai right then, causing a slight shiver to run down Tigress's spine.

She had never seen Po so angry before…well…except for one time, when they were in pretty much the exact same situation with the Lin Kuei. Funny, he only seemed to get completely serious whenever she was the one being threatened. Suddenly a thought occurred to her just then, "_Wait…does that mean…could he really_…!?" But Tigress shook the thought out of her head just as quickly as it had come. She had no time to be worrying about such ridiculous things right now. She had to find a way out of this and save Po from making this choice. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing Tigress could think of seemed like it would be a good idea. "_There has to be SOMETHING I can do_!" Tigress thought to herself, but there was nothing she could think of. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't even see any of the Spirit Orbs lying around. She was completely helpless.

Po stared at Temutai for what seemed like forever, but finally, he came to a decision. There really was no other choice. To save Tigress…he was going to have to take his own life. Po finally heaved a heavy sigh as he lowered his head and said, "Alright Temutai…you win." Po then looked up and saw a victorious grin on Temutai's face, as the Water Buffalo chided, "Well? I'm waiting Dragon Warrior!" Po glared at the Scumbag, before turning his gaze upon Tigress. As he looked her dead in the eye all he could manage to say was, "I'm…I'm sorry…Tigress."

Tigress's eyes snapped open, as she realized what Po was planning to do. "No! No Po, you can't do this! You Can't-Oomph!?" But Temutai had just moved his hoof up from around her neck to her mouth as he shouted "Quiet you! He has made his choice. Now…Do it Dragon Warrior! Or I will crush your friend's neck myself!" Po snarled as his grip tightened around the handle of the dagger while he shouted, "Alright, alright! Just stop already!" Temutai thankfully released Tigress's mouth as she was panting heavily. Apparently she couldn't breathe while Temutai had his hoof over her mouth. Po's eyes fell back to the dagger as he twirled it around so that the blade was now pointed towards him. He was about to raise the blade to his chest when something caught his eye.

Angling the blade just slightly to the right, Po was just able to make out the image of something round lying on the ground just behind Temutai. Upon closer inspection, Po suddenly realized what it was, "_A Spirit Orb!? Come to think of it, I wondered what happened to those things. Tigress must have lost them when Temutai captured her. But how am I going to use it_?" Po recalled the last time he had tried to manipulate the Spirit Orbs in the Vault of Artifacts, and it wasn't exactly a success. But this presented a single light of hope. If he could just control the Orb long enough to set Tigress free, he could take Temutai down for good. He just needed to think of a way to concentrate, without Temutai catching on. And for that, he was going to need Tigress's help for sure. "_She is so going to kill me after this_." Po thought as he cleared his mind, and angled the blade so that Temutai would think Po was focusing on the dagger and not the Spirit orb behind him. "_Come on Po…Focus…Concentrate…you can do this…you have to do this…Tigress needs me_."

With that last thought driving him forward, the lone Spirit Orb slowly began to flicker a soft bluish glow. Po focused as he thought to himself once more. "_Con-…-centrate…for Tigress_!" and with that, the orb's glow became a solid bright blue color as it slowly began to rise up behind Temutai. As the Orb floated up, Po angled the Dagger so that it appeared that he was actually looking at the blade and not the Orb that was slowly rising up behind Temutai. His arm outstretched with the blade pointed at him, he heard Tigress shout, "Po, stop this! You can't do this! Please don't do this, take my life instead!" Po couldn't help but look at Tigress briefly, but he had to turn his gaze away from her when the spirit Orb began to flicker again. "_Dang, this is hard. I need to be quick before I really lose it _!" Po was barely managing to keep the orb flying, which was impressive in itself, considering he used to never be able to manipulate them at all. It was just proof of how much all that extra reading was doing for him.

As the Orb now reached head level with Temutai, Po finally looked back at Tigress and said quietly, "I'm sorry Tigress…but I can't do that…This is the only way." Tigress's eyes were pleading with Po as she whispered, "No…Po don't do this…please…this is all my fault, not yours!" Now it was Po's heart that was breaking, she was blaming herself for all of this. How was he going to make this up to her? Po just sighed as he looked at Tigress and said, "Tell my Dad…that I'm sorry." and with that, Po's grip on the dagger tightened as he began to thrust the Dagger towards Tigress's heart.

As the Blade inched its way towards its appeared target, Tigress screamed "PO!" While Temutai watched with anticipation, his eyes widening as the blade neared the Tiger's heart. He had done it. In just a few more seconds, the Dragon Warrior would be no more! And then it happened.

***SHUICK***

Po gasped as Tigress watched the blade pierce through her chest and Po widened her eyes in horror, as he allowed a shallow breath to escape. "NOOOO!" Tigress screamed. Still holding the blade in place, Po dropped down to his knees and appeared to be trying to breathe, but it was useless. Tigress watched as a trickle of blood suddenly was escaping her mouth as Po coughed and spit just a little bit onto the floor. Po looked up and saw Tigress with tears running down his own face as she tried to say something, but she just couldn't. He had literally just destroyed her emotionally. Po then whispered as he saw Temutai's grip on her neck loosen, "I'm…Sorry." Then Po reached out with Tigress's arm and cried out "HAAAAH!" Both Temutai and Tigress were startled by Po's sudden cry, but Temutai didn't get the chance to think too much about it once he felt a very dense object smash against the back of his head, "OWW!?" Temutai roared out in pain, as he instinctively released Tigress to grip the back of his head that was now throbbing in pain.

Tigress immediately fell forward and landed on Po's stomach. Instantly she was in pain from his wounds, but she didn't care. Using her left arm, Tigress dragged her way over to Po and saw he was still on her knees with his arm outstretched. Tigress didn't understand what was happening, but when she neared him, she watched as he removed the blade from out from under his arm. Tigress's eyes suddenly widened with realization. He had never stabbed himself; he aimed the blade for under her arm! It was all an act, but why? Her question was then answered as she noticed a lone spirit Orb floating over towards them. As she looked form the Orb to Po she whispered "Po…are you…?" Po smiled as he nodded Tigress's head saying, "Yup, it's about time too." Tigress then asked in disbelief, "But…the blood…from my mouth…how?" Po had an answer for that too as he said, "Sorry, but I bit the inside of your lip. Your teeth are a lot sharper than I thought they'd be. Ow!" as Po wiped the blood away from her lower lip.

As Po helped Tigress up he looked her in the eye and pleaded with her, "Tigress I'm sorry, but I had to keep Temutai distracted, I had to get you free. Can you forgive me?" Tigress merely shook Po's head as she said, "We'll talk about it later, after we deal with Temutai." Po's face became one of slight rage as he turned his glare upon the Leader of the Qidan. "Leave him to me…I have a few words for him first." Tigress was momentarily surprised as Po picked up his crutch from off to the side and handed it to her saying, "Just stay out of harm's way. Okay?" Tigress merely nodded as Po turned his back on her and began to approach Temutai. For some reason, Tigress just knew she could leave this to Po. Maybe it was because she rarely ever saw him so serious Tigress winced in pain as Po's stomach began to throb with pain. "Great." was all she could say to herself as she watched Po approach the Water Buffalo.

As Po neared the Water Buffalo, Temutai had just finished shaking the stars out of his head as he shouted, "You tricked me DRAGON WARRIOR! Now I shall make you pay for your…TRICKING ME!" Po then snapped as he roared at Temutai, "Yeah? So what!? I'm getting real sick of you bad guys trying to use my friends to get to me! If you want to come for my life, then do it! But listen to this! Anyone who comes after my friends in order to get to me again, is going to REALLY feel the Pandamonium! And you can tell all those losers In Chor Ghom Prison that when you get there!"

Tigress was stunned. Never had she seen Po shout at a foe with such furry. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he was using her voice that added to the intimidation, but for the first time ever, Tigress actually pitied Temutai for having to go up against the Panda…or… Tiger. "_Gosh, now I'm getting confused here_." Tigress thought to herself, as Temutai shouted back at Po, "I don't think so DRAGON WARRIOR!" and with that, Temutai began to charge, while Po did the same, releasing a loud and ferocious battle cry, "RRRRAAAAAARRRGHHHH!"

As the two met, Temutai tried to slam his fist down upon the Tiger, but Po was too quick. Using Tigress's agility and speed, Po ducked out from under the blow and countered with a powerful Claw strike to Temutai's face, forcing him to stumble back as he rubbed his bruised face. But before Temutai had the chance to fight back, Po rushed up and jumped up and kneed Temutai in the face, following up with a powerful spin kick, sending the Buffalo into a nearby pillar. Once again, shaking the stars out of his head, Temutai then raced for the Tiger a second time. As Temutai tried to deliver several punches and a few kicks at the Dragon Warrior, he was finding it all but impossible to land a single hit. "I don't understand. How am I not able to hit him!? Neither the Panda or the Tiger have ever been this good before, so how-!?" But Temutai's thoughts were interrupted, as Po leaped into a back-flip, kicking Temutai in the face and landing on Tigress's feet in a low crouch.

Tigress watched the battle from the sides, her mouth slightly agape. Truth be told, Po was in an incredibly rare form today. Never before had Tigress seen the Warrior so focused before, so determined, or so…angry. Combined with the fact he was using her body, with its incredible strength and years of training, it was no wonder that Po resembled that of an unstoppable force. And to be honest, Tigress was incredibly impressed. She watched as Po straightened himself up and declare, "It's time to finish this Temutai!" Tigress watched with incredible curiosity. What was Po going to do now?

As Temutai charged Po again, Po sprinted forward down on all fours, closing the distance quickly. In the last couple of yards, Po leaped into the air and Tigress watched as he brought her paws back. "_That's my_-" But her thoughts were interrupted by Po shouting, "**Double Palm Strike**!" As Po made contact, making Tigress's palms land in the center of Temutai's chest, there was a small shock wave produced and Temutai was hurled halfway across the hall sliding on his back. as he looked up he saw Po land on all fours and get back up quickly as the Dragon Warrior shouted, "I'm not done yet!" and Po began to spin around quickly at an incredibly fast rate.

Both Tigress and Temutai's eyes widened in realization at the technique, "No way…" Tigress muttered while Temutai could only whimper. "…Oh boy…" as Po came around for the final time he stopped on his heels, Tigress's claws digging into the marble floor as he brought her right palm around and outstretched forward, shouting once more in a voice filled with so much power in it, "**THUNDERING WIND HAMMER**!"

Tigress watched wide eyed as a bright Orange burst of Chi erupted from her own paw and launched itself at Temutai. Temutai was so shocked by the Tiger's display of power that he just stood there and allowed the energy to hit him. When it did, Temutai was instantly flown back across the Reflecting Moon Pool, and slammed up against the wall holding the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu. When he fell forward, Temutai landed onto the ground face first with a low "Ugh…" while several of the wall's scrolls began to pile up on him. Temutai was defeated.

Po was breathing hard as he lowered Tigress's arm and straightened up. To be honest, he wasn't certain he was going to be able to pull off the Wind Hammer while in Tigress's body, but he figured if he could pull off the Golden Lotus Clap, then it was worth a shot. Seeing that Temutai was finally down for the count, Po turned to see Tigress staring at him with his mouth wide open. As he approached her, Tigress was trying to say something, "Po…that was…you just…the Thundering Wind Hammer…But how-!?" but she was interrupted as Po grabbed her and pulled her in close in as strong of a hug as he could manage without hurting her. "I'm sorry." Po whispered as Tigress merely blinked. Po pulled away and explained while looking her dead in the eyes, "I'm sorry for making you think I was dying, but I had to get Temutai to let his guard down. Master Shifu's always saying that if you can't fool your friends, then you can't fool your enemies…but I never wanted to hurt you like that. Tigress, I'm sorry."

Tigress looked down into her own eyes and saw Po looking back at her with such sadness. "_He's sorry…HE'S SORRY!? Why is he the one feeling sorry!? I'm the one who was supposed to keep him safe this whole time! But all I ended up doing was putting him in even more danger…But he'll never see it that way. He just can't._" Tigress then pulled away as she winced in pain. Po's stomach was really hurting right now and she almost couldn't take it. Po looked at her worriedly, as she gripped his stomach with his left hand. Remembering that he had placed the Soul Gem in his pocket before they switched bodies the first time, Po grabbed Tigress and pulled her in close, surprising her as he kissed her fast on the lips, her eyes wide open from shock.

Instantly, the Soul Gem began to shine its bright pinkish glow from inside Po's pocket, and Po's eyes opened now along with Tigress's. Their eyes quickly began to glow brightly; Po's a bright Jade, while Tigress's a bright orange. Soon, their souls were quickly extracted from their bodies, Po's Jade tinted spirit exiting Tigress's body, while Tigress's Darker orange spirit exited Po's body. The two souls swirled around each other for a moment above their heads, before returning to their respective vessels. Once their spirits re-entered their intended bodies, both Warriors eye's glowed for a second, before the two separated from the kiss.

As soon as he released her, Po was thriving in pain, as he continued to hold his stomach and fell forward shouting "GYAH!?" Tigress immediately trying to support him, helped walk him over to a pillar, where she carefully laid him up against it. Po was breathing hard and fast as he tried to push through the pain, but it was hard. Tigress immediately asked, "What can I do!?" Po just smiled weakly as he said through gritted teeth, "Well, ***hrgnh**!* you could maybe put those guys in the dungeon since they're still out cold." Tigress looked like she didn't want to leave the panda, but given the current situation, she didn't have much of a choice. If she didn't do something about the Qidan while she could, then Po would most likely suffer the consequences.

Nodding her head in understanding, Tigress immediately set to work, gathering up the numerous Qidan together, and chaining them together to many of the Pillars, saving Temutai for last. Once she had most of them restrained, she quickly hauled Temutai, along with a few other warriors off to the palace dungeons, Once Po watched her leave, Po then removed his arm from around his stomach and noticed blood beginning to seep through the bandages again. "Dang…" Po muttered as he replaced his arm around his wound. "Looks like Temutai did more damage than I thought…At least Tigress hasn't seen it yet." And as if on Cue, Tigress had returned and was approaching the remaining warriors.

Once she was finished hauling the Warriors down into the Palace Dungeons, Tigress approached the Panda and did her best to help him up. Po refused to allow her to place his left arm around her shoulder though but allowed her to hold on to him as they walked out of the Hall of Heroes. Once Tigress got Po back to the Barracks and into his room, she quickly made sure he would be alright before sprinting out of the Barracks to search for Zeng and Han. When she was gone, Po sat forward wincing in pain, as he took some of the spare Bandages sitting on his bedside table and began to try redressing his wound. Not an easy task when you can only use one hand.

A couple of hours later, Tigress returned with Han in tow. She had sent Zeng down into the Village to retrieve some Rhino Guards to take the Qidan to Chor Ghom Prison. When she returned, she was shocked to see Po sitting up in his bed with a pile of bloodied bandages nearby on the floor. He had clearly tried redressing his wound by himself but had settled for just holding the rags to his stomach instead. Han then turned to Tigress saying, "Bring me some water, some in a bucket, some for the Dragon Warrior to drink!" Tigress nodded and went to get the water; while Han laid the Panda back onto his bed and began examining his wounds.

About half an hour later, Han had finished patching Po up and was confident he would be alright, but the stress of the day's events may have set his recovery back a few days at least, resulting in a grunt of disappointment from Po. "You're lucky that's all that's wrong with you Dragon Warrior! I can't believe you two took on the Qidan like that all by yourselves, and with the Dragon Warrior in his current condition!" Tigress's eyes narrowed while Po spoke up saying, "It's my own fault…I convinced Tigress to let me stay back and protect the Jade Palace." Han then turned to look at the Panda with a look of disapproval saying, "Nevertheless Master…If you want my professional opinion, I'd say that it was a stupid decision." And with that, Han exited the room leaving the Masters alone.

Po sat up and looked over at Tigress who was looking down at the ground with a frown on her face. Trying to lighten the mood, Po then was the first to break the silence, "Hey, what's wrong Tigress? We won! We should be celebrating! I know! I can make my Secret ingredient Soup and you can help, and we could-" But Po was cut off as Tigress whipped around and stared at Po with a face filled with so much pain and hurt, shocking Po to the core. "Yes…we won today. But at what cost?" after taking one last look at all of his wounds, Tigress turned and stormed off out of the room and Po could have sworn he saw evidence of tears in her eyes. "Tigress…" Po whispered as he hung his head low, while she left him alone in his room.

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**Temutai and his Warriors have been defeated! YES! A couple of things. The reason the Wind hammer attack was orange and not Po's normal green color was because he was using Tigress's body to perform it. In Owl Be Back, Fenghuaghn (Or however you spell her name) used the technique and hers was a dark blue color. leading me to believe it's a Chi specific skill, unlike the Golden Lotus Clap. No WuXi Finger hold this time. Sorry. I know someone was hoping that I would use that again but I chose not to for this story. Although seeing Tigress pull off that move would be pretty epic. but then so is the Wind Hammer. **

**I also played around with the idea of Po using the Phantom Crystal to fake his death...but then I remembered that was probably left behind in the Secret Kung Fu Museum. Oh well, I hope this was okay. **

**Tigress has gone into a depression due to the events that have happened once again. What will happen now? The Masters return in the next Chapter, and Po and Tigress are forced to confront some serious for reading and remember...REVIEW!**


	10. When Words Become More

**Well...it's done. The final Chapter to When Words Become More, is finally up. took me a month, but I finished it. Thanks for all the awesome reviews, you guys are the best. This was probably the hardest story for me to write, because as I said early on, it was never meant to exist. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Enjoy The Read...**

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**Chapter 10**

**When words become more**

The next day at the palace was pretty much exactly what was to be expected. Tigress assisted the palace staff in cleaning up the Jade Palace of all the damage the Qidan had caused while searching for Po. There was little she could do as far as the damage to the Pillars and the walls in the Hall of Heroes. They would need to hire a professional to restore those. She also had to take an inventory of all the artifacts she knew of within the Palace walls. A task that once again fell to her and her alone. The part that took perhaps the most time however was a task that she alone was tasked in doing, and that was replacing all of the scrolls that had fallen down upon Temutai after Po's use of the Thundering Wind Hammer. Not only did she have to replace every single scroll, but in numerical order as well…all 376 of them.

It took her some time, but finally after about 3 hours of shifting through the pile of scrolls, placing them in order, and making sure none of them had rolled into the reflecting pool, Tigress was finally finished. Shifu and the others were expected to return to the Palace the next day, and she and Po would have to tell Shifu everything that happened…Everything. That part made her incredibly nervous to say the least. What will Shifu say when he learns she and Po had used the Soul Gem? Would he be disappointed in her? Will he react just like Han did when she allowed Po to put himself in further danger?

Tigress froze right then as that last thought struck her hard. She had stayed behind voluntarily for one thing. To make sure Po was safe. She knew that going to that stupid party of Chang's would be a bad idea because she wouldn't be able to stop worrying about Po. But now that she thought about it…all she managed to do while they were both here was get him into even more trouble…and more pain.

She had left him alone for a few hours and he knocked himself unconscious. She took her eyes off him for a few minutes in the training hall and he had some sort of episode that neither of them was certain of the cause. And yesterday, she let him stay and protect the Jade Palace. He had convinced her it was the right thing to do, and she agreed. Now he was sitting in his room with his recovery set back even further. "I failed." Tigress whispered to herself as she let the reality sink in. Po may be alive, but she failed to keep him safe and to protect him. He got hurt, and he was the one who did the protecting.

With a heavy sigh, Tigress continued walking over to the Barracks. When she arrived, she checked the kitchen first and noticed Po wasn't in there. "_Strange…this is usually around the time he likes to prepare dinner_." Tigress thought to herself, as she continued on down the hall. As she approached the sleeping quarters, she saw Han exiting the Panda's room. When he saw her approach, Han bowed before saying, "Master Tigress, has the Palace been restored to order?" Tigress nodded as she said, "Yes, and some guards have already arrived and taken the Qidan away. They are currently on their way to Chor Ghom prison as we speak." Han nodded as Tigress then asked while looking at Po's door, "How is he?" Han stared at Tigress briefly, watching her gaze at the panda's room before saying, "He is currently asleep taking a nap. I asked if he would like something prepared for him for dinner but he just said he wanted to wait for you to return before eating."

Tigress was a bit surprised at that. But before she could say anything, Han had begun walking down the hallway and towards the exit. Once she made sure he was gone, Tigress quietly slid open Po's door and walked in. when she was inside, she was greeted by the soft snoring of the Panda as he continued to sleep, unaware that she had even entered the room. Tigress immediately took a seat at the center of the room and rested her arms over her knees as she watched him sleep. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, as he continued snoring peacefully. Tigress realized that he looked so peaceful when he slept…so calm…so innocent…so…safe.

Immediately Tigress scolded herself again for not doing a better job at keeping him safe this week. He was her responsibility and she had failed him yet again. And she had failed herself as well. Slowly Tigress got back up to her feet and began to exit the room. After one last look at the Panda, she quietly opened the door and left to go and prepare something for dinner. When she was gone, Po had slowly opened up one of his eyes and stared at the door for a moment. He wasn't sleeping at all, he just didn't know what to say to her right now. He wanted her to stop blaming herself so much but at the same time he wasn't sure how to go about doing it. As Po looked up at the ceiling he quietly whispered to himself, "I'm sorry Tigress…I'm sorry."

**The Next Day…**

It was early afternoon when Shifu and the other Masters had finally returned. Tigress was practicing her Tai Chi out in front of the Training Hall, while Po was seated on a bench nearby. Neither one had said much to the other most of the day which was incredibly strange. Po was trying to think of something to say when the Palace Gates opened up in front of them and they saw their friends and Master had finally returned, "Guys! You're back!" Po cheered excitedly as he grabbed his crutch and hobbled over to meet them. Tigress had also interrupted her forms and was now quickly at Po's side, ready to be of assistance if she needed to be. The only two who managed to notice Tigress's excessive display of concern were Master Shifu and Viper, the guys were too busy talking with Po.

"So how was it!? You guys gotta tell me everything! I've been going nuts thinking about how much fun you guys must have had at Chang's party!" Po was surprised however when Monkey walked up to him and handed him the shift stone saying, "Never... Again!" and with that Monkey began walking over to the training hall. Po looked at Crane and Mantis and asked, "What's his deal?" Crane just rolled his eyes while Mantis chuckled, "Let's just say, when Monkey took the job of pretending to be you, he well…Bit off more than he could chew!" at this, both Mantis and Crane busted out laughing, while Shifu and Viper merely rolled their eyes. Monkey however heard them though, and quickly walked back over to them and whined, "It's not funny! You try being forced to eat that much food at once!" Po whipped around and whined, "Whaaaat!?" Mantis then added, "Yeah! Chang had a whole table set up for the two of you to eat at, he challenged Monkey to an eating contest and well…lets just say, he wasn't overly impressed with the Dragon Warrior's performance."

Po then whirled around and asked, "He had a whole table setup just for me! AW MAN! That's like my second favorite dream of all time! Monkey, you're so lucky!" Monkey huffed right then,  
"LUCKY! HA! I'll be LUCKY, if I can work off all this food over the next two weeks! Po, I'm sorry, but the next time you get invited to a party you can go yourself. I can't take this kind of abuse, my stomach isn't half the size as yours!" Crane then added, "IF he gets invited again." Po turned to Crane and asked nervously "What do you mean IF!? What happened!?" Mantis then asked, "Remember when we said Chang wasn't impressed by your performance?" Po then said nervously, "Yeaaaahh…" Crane then finished, "Well…I wouldn't get your hopes up about going next year. Chang seemed REALLY disappointed with Monkey's lack of an appetite." Po then whined again "AW MAN! The first party I get invited to and not only can I not got to it to begin with, but Now I might not get invited to another one!?" Po hung his head as he sighed in frustration. "Figures..."

Monkey then apologized saying "Sorry Po…I tried." But Po released another sigh and looked up at Monkey with a smile saying, "I know buddy, thanks for going as me anyway…you didn't say Awesome too much though did you?" Mantis then quipped, "Oh yeah." Followed by an "Most definitely." From Crane, and finally Viper added, "It was every third word." Monkey just shrugged his shoulders while Po shook his head.

While Monkey was heading off to the training hall, Shifu then asked, "Well, I trust your time at the Palace was less trying then ours?" Po and Tigress just looked at each other before Po started, "Um…yeah, about that." Shifu looked a bit concerned when Tigress stepped forward and said, "Master…we need you to come with us." And with that, Shifu followed Po and Tigress back to the barracks, leaving Mantis, Crane, and Viper alone in the court yard. Crane then wondered, "What do you think happened while we were gone?" Mantis then said, "Beats me. I'm going to the training hall." And with that, Mantis and Crane followed Monkey inside, while Viper watched after Tigress. Tigress didn't look any better than the day she had left her behind here with Po. Was she still punishing herself for what happened to Po? Or did something else happen? Realizing she had nothing better to do, Viper slithered in after the guys, and into the Training Hall.

An hour later, Tigress and Shifu were standing in Po's room with the Panda sitting upright on his bed. Shifu was processing all that the two had told him just now; from Po knocking himself unconscious and Tigress's lack of keeping a close eye on him in the beginning, to them taking on Temutai and his Warriors together. Shifu was looking from Po to Tigress as he debated on what to say next. On one hand, he was incredibly disappointed that the two of them had simply not fled the Palace with Po in his current condition. But on the other hand, he could not help but feel proud of the two of them for successfully defending the Jade Palace, although it did indeed set Po's recovery back a bit, according to the Panda though, it was a small price to pay to ensure the safety of their home. But as Shifu looked at Tigress, he was not so certain she felt the same.

After a long pause, Shifu released a heavy sigh before saying, "What is important, is that the two of you are both alright." As he said this, Po gave a small smile, while Tigress merely nodded. Shifu turned to Po and asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, "And you were able to manipulate the Spirit Orbs of Master Ding?" Po nodded as he said, "Just the one, and it wasn't easy." Shifu nodded as he said, "Nevertheless, it shows just how much you have improved Panda, well done." Po nodded and then Shifu turned to Tigress asking, "And the Zhou Deng Soul Gem?" Tigress nodded as she said, "Safely locked away in the Vault of Artifacts Master." Shifu nodded as he said, "Good…that is where it shall remain." Shifu then looked at each of them before saying, "I must admit though…I am surprised that the two of you were able to show such, ***Ahem*** commitment to the task of protecting the Palace." Both Po and even Tigress blushed slightly and Shifu could not help but smirk. Po then started, "W-well it just seemed like it was the best option we had! I mean…We didn't exactly have a lot of options to begin with!" Tigress nodded before saying, "That's right…it was strictly a professional situation…nothing…nothing more."

Po looked over at Tigress and noticed a sense of hurt in her eyes. "_Wait…did she…did she really mean that? Or maybe_…"But his thoughts were interrupted by Shifu saying, "Regardless, I am quite proud of the both of you. Due to the recent events, the other Masters and I shall not be leaving the Palace so unprotected again until the Dragon Warrior is back on his feet so to speak. Not of course unless we can't avoid it." Both Po and Tigress nodded as Shifu then said, "Now, if you will excuse me." And with that, Shifu exited the room.

Tigress was about to leave as well when Po stopped her. "Tigress, wait." But Tigress only stopped with her back to him as she said, "I'm sorry…but I need to go and…meditate. One of the others should be by soon. Just…stay here in the meantime." And with that Tigress hurried out of the room, trying to keep Po from seeing her face. But Po did see it. And he saw so much pain in her eyes as she turned down the hall. Po just sat there on his bed as he tried to think of anything he could do to help Tigress. She was STILL blaming herself for everything that happened and it got to the point where she could no longer be in the same room with him alone. He hated seeing her like this, seeing her in pain. It was killing him inside seeing Master Tigress beat herself up like this. He always hated when his friends were in pain, both physical and emotional. But as he stared after Tigress, he felt like her pain, was causing him pain, and he hated it. "_I have to do something for her…but what can I do_?" Po wondered if there was anything he COULD do for about an hour, until finally he drifted off to sleep, with a single tear running down his face. "_What can I do_?"

The following day, Han was with Po in his room going over his stomach wounds as he did for the past three days. Checking to make sure Po's stitches hadn't re-opened and that the Dragon Warrior had not caused any further damage to his body. While Han was finishing, redressing Po's wounds, he spoke while keeping his eyes trained on the Panda's stomach, "You have been unusually quiet today Dragon Warrior. Is something troubling you?" as Han looked up, he noticed Po's gaze was rooted to the floor, a sad expression covering it. He appeared not to have heard the goat, so Han tried again, "Master?" as he gave Po's arm a light shake, thus gaining his attention. "Huh? Oh, sorry about that. I was just…thinking." As Po said the last word he turned his head to face away from Han.

Han raised his eyebrow and asked, "About what might I ask?" But Po just shook his head as he muttered, "It's nothing." But Han knew better, so he prodded a bit asking, "Is it about Master Tigress?" That got Po's attention as he bolted his head up and asked, "How did you!?" but Han merely smiled as he said, "Lucky guess…would you like to talk about it?" Po looked a little reluctant at first but eventually started, "I just hate seeing her torturing herself like this. Ever since the Lin Kuei attacked she'd blamed herself for my situation and I just can't take it. I want to help her forgive herself, but she won't listen to me…I don't know what to do. She's my best friend Han…how can I help her if she won't let me?"

Han stared at the Panda for a while before muttering, "Hmm…best friend you say?" Po looked at the goat and said, "Yeah, that's right. Why do you ask?" Han then shrugged his shoulders and said, "No reason really, I just felt that maybe you might be a bit…closer is all." At this, he watched as Po's face became bright red, finally confirming his suspicions, "W-What!? N-no, we're just really good friends…Best friends." Han merely nodded his head saying, "Of course Master, I just thought it was interesting that while all of the Masters were trying to help you find your way back to us a few weeks ago after your run in with the Lin Kuei, that out of everyone in the room at the time, Master Tigress was the only voice you managed to be able to follow back to consciousness." As Han turned away Po was staring at him blankly, as he stopped at the door Han turned and said, "Ah the Words of a Loved one can be truly magnificent sometimes…wouldn't you agree Dragon Warrior? It's a shame Master Tigress hasn't been as fortunate as you have been. For you see, I feel she could benefit from such words…but that is only my opinion, far be it for me to tell you your own feelings for another." And with that, Han exited the room, leaving an incredibly shocked Panda in his wake.

Po sat there in his room completely dumbfounded. It couldn't be true…could it? Did he…was he in love with Tigress!? "_No…that can't be right, she's my friend, my best friend. I can't be in love with her…and yet…why do I feel so sad when she's so miserable? Sure Viper's shown some concern for her too, but the guys have just written it off as one of her moods…So how come I feel so…different_?" as Po pondered this over in his head, he began to recall the day in the Training hall where he couldn't take his eyes off Tigress. how she performed her forms with such grace, fluidity, and perfection. He couldn't take his eyes off her that day. He remembered his cheeks feeling warm and his heart was beating a mile a minute. He remembered how the light had streaked into the hall from the doorway and shined off of her fur, giving it a magnificent glow. She was perfect…and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh Gods…I…I'm in love with Tigress."

It was true, and once he spoke those words out loud he knew they were true. He was in love. That's why he was hurting whenever he saw Tigress. Because she was in pain and he couldn't stand seeing her like that. Han's words echoed through his mind just then, "_It's a shame Master Tigress hasn't been as fortunate as you have. For you see, I feel she could benefit from such words_." Po then muttered to himself, "Words of a loved one, huh?" Po then reached over and grabbed his crutch as he hoisted himself up and began making his way over to his door. "_I have to find Tigress…I have to stop this_!" And with that, Po slowly made his way out of the room and down the Hall.

As he Passed Viper's room, she quietly slid the door open and peered out of the room after him, a wide smile on her face. She had overheard Han and Po's conversation and had a feeling she knew what conclusion Po had come to. As she watched him leave she whispered, "Come on Po…you're the only one who can help Tigress through this…good luck." And with that, she began slithering towards the kitchen. It was her night to cook and she was now trying to decide on what to fix everyone for dinner. "Maybe I could try my luck with Po's Secret Ingredient Soup?" Viper thought out loud as she slithered down the halls.

**At the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom… **

Tigress was sitting at the base of the tree overlooking the Valley of Peace. She had stopped meditating a while ago and was now just gazing out into the sunset. She remembered all the times she and Po used to sit up here in silence and just watch the sun set in the distance. She loved those moments of comfortable silence between the two. Though Po would often ruin them with a quick joke or he would start talking about the last time he went to see his dad. Tigress rarely ever contributed much to the conversations, but she enjoyed his company all the same.

But now she was up here all alone, while Po was sitting in the barracks by himself probably. She hadn't said much to him the past couple of days. Mostly because lately, every time she looked at him a voice in her head would say "Your fault." And she just couldn't take it. She hated seeing Po like this…weakened and broken. She hated seeing her best friend in any kind of pain. She wanted to make it so he never had to be in pain again, but she had failed. She failed to protect him, she failed to keep him safe, and she had failed herself. She was the worst best friend ever.

Suddenly Tigress's ear twitched as she heard the familiar panting of a giant panda. "Po!?" Tigress asked as she turned around and saw him trying to approach her. Once he did, Tigress helped him sit down and leaned him up against the tree to rest, being extra careful not to put any stress on his arm or leg. "Thanks." Po said, as he slowly caught his breath while Tigress asked, "What are you doing up here? If dinner is ready I could have come back myself. Is something wrong? Did something happen?" Po just shook his head as he said simply, "No Tigress, everything's fine…I just missed you." Tigress was momentarily surprised as she watched Po pat the ground beside him for her to sit down. Tigress obliged, and together the two of them sat there and watched the sunset.

After a moment, Po leaned back and said, "I missed this." Tigress looked over at the Panda and asked, "What?" Po then gestured to the view before them, "This. Us. Just you and me, not worrying about anything…I missed this." Tigress's ears fell flat as she turned her head away from him. They may have spent the past week together, but it was hardly always a good time. As the two sat there for a long time Tigress, started "Po…there's something I need to tell you." Po looked over and saw Tigress refused to look at him, so he just said, "Okay…" Tigress then whispered, "I'm sorry." Po had a feeling this was coming, so he just let her go on, as he turned to watch her while she stared at the ground. "I'm sorry that I failed to keep you safe. I'm sorry I lead you into a trap not only once but now twice. I'm sorry that you got hurt again because of me and I'm sorry that after everything we've been through, that I haven't been the Best friend you deserve. I'd understand if you didn't want to be friends with a Monster like me anymore."

Po was shocked. Tigress NEVER referred to herself as a monster before. If she was doing so now, then she was hurting far more then Po realized. Before Tigress could say anything else Po grabbed her by the Paw and whispered, "Tigress." Tigress turned and was shocked to see Po was…smiling at her? As she looked into his Jade eyes, a sense of calm slowly began to wash over her while he said, "Tigress, You're my best friend in the whole world. I could never hate you or be upset with you over something like this. Tigress, I care a lot about you and it's killing me seeing you like this. I never blamed you for what happened to me, not once. But if it helps, then I forgive you."

Tigress stood up just then and walked to the edge of the cliffs, folding her arms across her chest while she said, "That's nice of you Po…but the truth is I don't deserve your forgiveness." At this point, Po had had enough and was slowly getting to his feet while Tigress continued. "I always told myself that I would protect you. That I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you because of me. But I couldn't even keep one of those stupid promises!" Po then said, "Tigress it's okay-" But Tigress whirled around and shouted, "NO, It's not okay Po!" Po was stunned as Tigress took a few deep breaths and then continued, "It's not okay. It will never be okay. I don't deserve your forgiveness." Po frowned as he surprised Tigress with what he said next, "Well that's just too bad Tigress."

Tigress looked up to see Po making his way closer to her as he said, "Because I do forgive you. I will always forgive you!" Tigress then snapped, "Well you shouldn't!" Po then countered "But I do! and there's nothing you can do about it!" Tigress then roared as tears now threatened to escape her eyes, even though her face was clearly furious, "WHY!? WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ABLE TO FORGIVE ME JUST LIKE THAT!? What could possibly make you forgive me of all of my failures? All of my MISTAKES!?" but the next words Po shouted, silenced the tiger, shocking her to her very core. "BECAUSE, I LOVE YOU TIGRESS!"

Silence engulfed the cliffside, as Tigress stared wide eyed at the panda, who was now breathing just as hard as she was. The two of them staring into each other's eyes like they were the only two people in the world. Po then repeated himself in a slight whisper, "Because I love you." Hearing the words a second time didn't make it any more believable to her though and when Tigress finally found her voice she asked, "What?" Po just chuckled as he said while backing up a step and leaning on his crutch some more, "To be honest…I only just really figured it out myself. But…when I think about it…I feel like a part of me has always loved you, I just didn't know it until now." Tigress continued to stare at Po in shock and for a while, neither of them said a word.

But as Po turned away from Tigress to look at the sun setting once again, he spoke once more, "You know…I think that's why I can't stand seeing you in so much pain. When I see you punish yourself like this, it hurts Tigress…it hurts a lot." As Po turned to face her he hobble over to her and dropped his crutch taking her paw in his own and said, "You asked me why I can forgive you so easily. The truth is, there isn't anything for me to forgive Tigress. I never once blamed you for what the Lin Kuei did to me, or Temutai and his goons. Not once did I ever think it was your fault so neither should you." Tigress then started, "But Po…I-" But Po cut her off as he said, "No buts Tigress…I forgive you, because I'm in love with you. Even if you don't feel the same way about me, that's okay. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, I am. But please…stop torturing yourself like this…Please…Just let me see your smile again."

When Po finished Tigress was on the verge of tears again and Po thought she was going to start crying again. But then Tigress did something Po never saw coming. She carefully wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down gently so as to not put any strain on his wounds, and she kissed him. Although initially surprised, Po quickly closed his eyes and wrapped his left arm around her waist trying to bring her in a bit closer, as he returned the kiss with all his love. Once they finished, Tigress broke away and laid her head into Po's shoulder as she whispered, "Thank you Po…and…I…I love you too." Po was thrilled when he heard Tigress say that, but all he did was hold her close with his arm and whisper, "You're welcome Tigress."

Po then chuckled as Tigress looked up and asked, "What's so funny Panda?" Po just looked at her and said, "Nothing…I was just thinking…that that should have been our first kiss." Tigress smiled as she leaned back and said, "Well there will always be more, won't there?" Po smiled as he nodded his head while Tigress smiled at him. Seeing her smile like that just made Po's that much more wider as he whispered, "There's the smile I love." resulting in Tigress chuckling while the two continued to stand there under the tree.

After a moment, Tigress looked up and asked, "So…should we tell anybody?" Po sighed as he leaned back against the tree once more and said, "Honestly? I was kinda hoping we could maybe wait until my leg is healed…that way I can run away when Master Shifu tries to kill me." This earned him a quiet laugh from Tigress who said, "Fair enough, we keep it a secret for now. To be honest, I also don't want to listen to Monkey or Mantis crack any of their stupid jokes about it anytime soon." Po nodded his head, and together the two returned to enjoying each other's company.

As the two sat there, Po looked down to see Tigress actually smiling as they watched the valley below, and he thought to himself, "_Now THIS is awesome…definitely better than some party_." The moment was interrupted however, when Tigress's ear twitched and she groaned. "What?" Po asked as Tigress sat forward and grumbled, "It's Zeng." As if on cue, the goose landed just behind the peach tree and announced, "Masters, Master Viper wished for me to inform you that dinner is ready." Po and Tigress nodded to the goose, and once his message was delivered, he immediately took of towards the palace. Tigress then stood up and helped Po to his feet. once the two were ready Po then gestured, "Shall we?" and so Tigress nodded, and together, the couple made their way over to the Barracks to eat with their friends, as the sun set on another now peaceful day in the Valley of Peace, while a new day was just on the Horizon.

**The End? **

* * *

**And there you have it! The story has come to a close...again. Although I will be honest, I did leave myself some room to play with in case I get enough requests for another sequel Yet I tried to end it so that it could make for a good ending as well. Hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading and please remember...**

**REVIEW!**


	11. Author's Note

**Authors Note**

**Thanks for reading my sequel to The Words of a Loved One! I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Anyway, the reason for this post is that I now have two stories currently in the works. The first is my sequel to One's Curse to Bear, the Title is "**_**Kung Fu Panda: Time Waits for No One**_**." **

**The Second story is a bit Darker. Also because of the nature of the story, I am rating it M for now, Not because of any Slash or anything, just because I feel that it would be a safer rating. The Title to this story will be "**_**Fate Can Be So Cruel**_**" It's a story about how Po is taken away from Mr. Ping at a very young age, and is forced to grow up as a Slave. After 20 years Po finally escapes his owner, and makes his way back to the Valley of Peace, and not only finds his Father…but also the Man who was the reason behind him being taken away in the First place…Master Oogway.**

**Just to be clear, Oogway isn't evil, he was just forced to make a difficult choice for the safety of the village. This is a very involved a story, and I hope I get some readers, despite the rating.**

**Thanks for reading Everyone! **


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